Marks & Spencer (M&S) has launched “Plan A for Farming”, a new long-term strategy aimed at strengthening British agriculture, boosting resilience and sustainability, and ensuring consumers continue to have access to high-quality homegrown food.
The plan, which runs until 2030, builds on M&S’s 30-year Select Farm programme and includes a fresh £7 million investment over five years, bringing total funding to £14 million for farming innovation and sustainability initiatives. The retailer has pledged that by 2030, 100% of its British products will be sourced from farms using regenerative practices.
The strategy introduces new industry-leading standards, including the Angus Gold Standard, which combines science-led breeding with high animal welfare, and an Enhanced Milk Pledge, which uses AI technology to monitor livestock health and incorporates regenerative farming practices. M&S said both initiatives will improve quality, lower carbon footprints and provide farmers with fair, long-term contracts to encourage investment.
Through its new Farming for the Future programme, M&S will work with 200 farmers and growers nationwide, providing fully funded packages of soil, biodiversity and carbon assessments, alongside training and digital tools to support regenerative farming methods.
M&S reaffirmed its commitment to sourcing 100% British beef, chicken, pork, milk, and whole eggs, while supporting growers to extend production seasons for key crops such as asparagus, broccoli and strawberries. The retailer said such investment would help customers “buy British for longer” while giving farmers confidence to expand.
Every M&S turkey sold at Christmas is already British, and the retailer announced that from next Easter it will become one of the few supermarkets to sell only British lamb.
While outlining its own commitments, M&S joined farmers in urging the government to set a legally binding national food security target, similar to net zero commitments, to increase the proportion of UK-grown and reared food consumed domestically.
Alex Freudmann, Managing Director of M&S Food, said: “British farming is the backbone of our food industry and the foundation of M&S Food. But the future of British agriculture can’t rest on industry alone. That’s why we’re backing our farmers in their call for government to step up – starting with a clear, legally binding target to increase the proportion of food eaten in Britain that is grown here. It’s time to turn warm words into action.”
M&S also called for simpler government support schemes, improved agricultural training and apprenticeships, and assurances that imported food under future trade deals will meet UK standards.
With more than 10,000 Select Farms in its supply chain, M&S said “Plan A for Farming” would not only safeguard British farming but also give customers greater confidence in the quality, sustainability and provenance of the food on their plates.
