Marks & Spencer is set to celebrate two significant milk milestones at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show.
The pioneering Milk Pledge Plus initiative – the retailer’s unique payment system – is celebrating its 15 year anniversary, while M&S ‘healthier’ milk, which saw all M&S milk becoming naturally lower fat, hit the shelves of stores five years ago.
Launched in 2000, M&S was the first retailer to invest in a ‘Milk Pledge’ for its dairy farmers across the UK which fully reflects the cost of production. With its unique set of industry leading standards on welfare and farm standards, the initiative helps to remove the volatility of the milk industry’s price fluctuations, giving dairy farmers greater security.
Milk Pledge Plus is unique to M&S and was developed as a result of the close relationship the high street retailer has with its farmers. The pledge enables farmers to plan their business with more assurance, giving them better security and recognising the importance of their industry, whilst at the same time delivering high standards of animal welfare and health.
M&S currently pays one of the highest prices per litre for milk, more than any other major food retailer in the UK, directly linking the price it pays to production costs including fuel, fertiliser and animal feed costs.
Anna Playfair Hannay, M&S Agricultural Technologist for Dairy, said: “For 15 years we have worked closely with our select farmers whom we know and trust, to ensure that our customers can enjoy M&S milk safe in the knowledge that it comes from farms with the highest standards.
“Supporting local farming has always been at the heart of our business and we want to make sure we are doing everything we can to support the future of the UK dairy industry. We supply our milk regionally from a dedicated pool of UK dairy farmers.”
In 2011, M&S was the first retailer to make all of its milk ‘healthier’, which cut 84 tonnes of saturated fat from its customers’ diets every year, while also improving the health and welfare of its dairy cows.
The improvements to all M&S milk was the result of an extensive trial involving a team of experts at Reading University, select M&S farmers and consumer research. It investigated whether it was possible to feed dairy cows a natural diet that would deliver milk with less saturated fat, improved cow health and welfare, be better for the environment, and with the same taste and high quality.
The results concluded that:
· saturated fat in the milk had been reduced by a minimum of 6%
· cow health and welfare had improved – cow fertility increased along with the cows’ appearance – they had glossier coats and displayed calmer behaviour
· palm oil will be removed from the cows’ diets – saving over 1,000 tonnes per year
· no effect on the quality or the taste of the milk – in fact the consumer research found that milk tasted creamier.
To support its dairy farmers converting to the new feed, M&S introduced a new payment contract for farmers who achieve the reduced saturated fat level in their milk.
Anna Playfair Hannay continued: “This has enabled us to grow the volume of milk sold in M&S stores for the benefit of all M&S milk farmers. It has also built on the existing strength of the M&S Milk Pledge Plus model, with a market leading partnership for the dairy farmers involved.”
Chalder Farm, a Chichester-based dairy, is just one of a dedicated pool of farmers which supplies its milk to M&S. Chalder Farm has won awards for its herd of well-cared for cattle and ranges of milk and ice creams. Farmer Chris Spiby, responsible for the dairy, explained more: “Our farm has been built on the understanding that high quality milk can only come from cows which are in a quality condition themselves – well fed, well looked after and, ultimately, happy. This is exactly the life we want for our girls. We have 550 cows on our site and aim to safeguard their welfare to ensure that we continue to deliver an outstanding quality of product to M&S.
“We’ve grown and developed our farm under the guidance of M&S’ Farming for the Future programme, and the proof truly is in the product. Our six-strong team of farmers help our cattle to produce over 15,000 litres of milk every day - enough for 120,000 bowls of cereal. M&S’ ongoing support has been invaluable to our farm. Our knowledge of the cattle combined with M&S’ innovative approach has made such a difference to the cows, the environment and, as a result, the customers.”
M&S’ Milk Pledge and ‘Healthier Milk’ are part of M&S’ Plan A initiative; a 100 commitment eco and ethical programme that tackles both today’s and tomorrow’s sustainable retail challenges. Launched in 2007, the plan has helped M&S send no waste to landfill, become carbon neutral and win 190 industry awards. Organised around four pillars – Inspiration, In Touch, Integrity and Innovation – it aims to make M&S the world’s most sustainable major retailer.
