Sound action for the bees at Marks and Spencer's farms

Following two successful trials last year, M&S has announced a further expansion of its partnership with agri-tech start-up AgriSound to an additional 18 sites all over the UK.

Last year M&S launched two in-field sensor trials that assisted farmers better support pollinators such as bumblebees and increased crop yields, and now M&S is rolling the technology out to more M&S Select farms likes East Seaton Farm in Arbroath which supplies Red Diamond strawberries to the high-street retailer.

AgriSound Polly technology allows farmers to track the number of pollinators who visit their farm in real-time and target specific interventions, like differing wildflower densities, for improving numbers and yields and quality of crops, as well as benefitting the wider environment. 

Specialist listening devices combine acoustic technology and environmental sensors to monitor the density of key pollinators, which include bumblebees and honeybees, plus the wider insect community remotely. The devices collect and send data via mobile data, with users able to see results via a smartphone or web app.

This roll-out will cover a diverse range of M&S’s fruit, veg and salad farms, making up 8% of M&S British growers, with monitors covering 120 habitats and over 1000 hectares, the largest number of growers reached through a retailer-funded trial so far to date. The technology will provide growers access to real-time data and insights to help set their farms up to be more nature-friendly.

At East Seaton Farm, the sensors are to be sited within the Red Diamond strawberry tunnels, to help track which kinds of pollinators are attracted to the strawberry crops. The roll out of this technology will help them determine how many natural predators they now attract through pollen and nectar mixes and evaluate the relative value of these different habitats in attracting pollinators at different times of the year.

Lochy Porter,who is the owner at East Seaton Farm, said: “Pollinators play an extremely  vital role in helping us deliver the best quality produce we can at the farm, so we’re keen to see the impact AgriSound technology has on activity. 

"With so many current environmental challenges, it’s more important than ever to understand pollinators better. We’re delighted to have been selected by M&S as one of the locations for this expansion and excited to see what beneficial outcomes can be achieved by these relatively simple measures. If we can attract more pollinators to our farm, this will be a huge success for us.”

The collaboration is part of M&S’ Farming with Nature programme, launched back in 2021 to support the retailer’s Select Farmers to become more resilient to environmental challenges spanning climate change and biodiversity loss.

As part of the programme, M&S has partnered with specialist industry partner LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) to strengthen pollinator-friendly farming practices across M&S’s grower base in the UK. M&S British fruit and vegetable growers are adopting higher standards, developed in partnership with LEAF, to boost biodiversity. 

This means, for example, growers set aside between 5-10% of habitat for wildlife and monitor numbers of farmland birds and pollinators. Today, M&S Select Farm growers are protecting and enhancing 9,500 hectares of habitats across the UK, with the growers on average setting aside 7% of their farms to wildlife, delivering the biodiversity badly needed across supply chains.

Andrew Clappen, Technical Director at M&S Food, said: “At M&S, our Plan A target is to become a net zero business by 2040. M&S Food makes up the majority of our emissions, with 72% of this coming directly from agriculture. Sustainable farming is not just a nice to have but a necessity for our business.

"Improving biodiversity is at the forefront of our plans to help farmers become more resilient to the impact of climate change. Pollinators are the unsung heroes of British farming – helping to improve yields and quality while benefitting the wider environment.

"Since we launched Farming with Nature, we’ve been hosting workshops offering advice to our M&S Select Farmers on the best ways to attract more pollinators. Now, by expanding out our partnership with AgriSound, farms like East Seaton will have real-time data and valuable insights into what’s working and what’s not.”

Gill Perkins, who is CEO Chief of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said: “It’s fantastic to see a major retailer investing in supporting and monitoring our essential wild pollinators. Bumblebees and other pollinators ensure the food we eat is nutritious, healthy and tasty, by working in the fields from dawn until dusk every day. They're pivotal to food production and it’s great to see them receive the recognition they deserve and the support they need to survive.”

Casey Woodward, Founder and CEO of AgriSound, said: “We’re delighted M&S has decided to roll-out AgriSound technology to more of its Select Farms. The development of our Polly™ devices has taken years of dedicated research and it is really exciting to see our technology continuing to deliver unique insights into pollinator activity. I look forward to working closely with the Select Farmers to help protect local pollinator communities.”

To learn more about M&S Farming With Nature programme, please visit: Agriculture and Supporting Our Farmers | Marks & Spencer (marksandspencer.com).