Bee Friendly Farm scheme marks 3 years and 16 acres
30th August 2016
It’s three years since we launched our Bee Friendly Farm scheme and began the process of introducing Bee Friendly Eggs onto supermarket shelves.
The initiative has been a huge success and we have now planted in excess of 16 acres of pollen and nectar rich habitats.
Our bee friendly farmers are producing enough eggs to supply our entire Yorkshire egg brand and we’re on track to meet our target of sourcing 40% of all our free range eggs from Bee Friendly Farms by the end of 2017.
Nick Chippindale, Managing Director of Chippindale Foods, said: “Growth of the Bee Friendly Farm Scheme is an important part of our sustainability plan and has the added benefit of offering consumers more choice in store.
“We work closely with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to set and monitor biodiversity targets for the bee friendly egg project and our involvement in the scheme has added another dimension to our relationship with our egg producers.
“The project takes the concept of the charity egg pack and moves it up a level, creating sustainability in the supply chain, retaining value in the market and giving conscientious consumers a product that is having a direct and positive impact on the environment.”
Gill Perkins, CEO of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said it was a unique scheme that had generated solid results.
“This is the first time we have worked with a food producer and the scheme has been a huge success thanks to the enthusiasm of the farmers and the fact that the support from Chippindale Foods is tangible and practical.
“The company works with the farms to establish new habitats and the Bee Friendly Egg brand raises awareness of our work with consumers.”
Monitoring the habitats that have been established is an important part of the project. Recruiting volunteer bee walkers can be a challenge which has led Chippindale Foods and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust to develop a training programme in association with one of our Bee Friendly Farms to train farmers and their families to become bee walkers to monitor species types and numbers on their land.