Noble Foods, the UK’s leading egg producer, is the first in the sector to adopt bioacoustic technology for monitoring pollinators on its Purely Organic farms.
This pioneering pilot project will deliver real-time insights into bee activity, enhancing farm biodiversity action plans and providing robust data to support the company’s environmental commitments.
Pollinators are essential for food production, supporting around 75% of crops, yet populations are in decline, with 35% of species at risk of extinction. As part of its environmentally-conscious Purely Organic brand, Noble Foods has already introduced habitat restoration measures, including bee and butterfly banks at two of its farms in Nottinghamshire.
Now, through its partnership with AgriSound, the company is taking a significant step toward making its biodiversity efforts more measurable.
Using AgriSound’s Polly™ monitoring technology, the project will:
- Measure detailed pollinator activity across different habitats and farm landscapes
- Provide data-driven insights to guide biodiversity plans in anticipation of new regulations
- Support sustainability claims with robust, verifiable evidence
The two-year pilot will track pollinator numbers and activity on the company’s Purely Organic farms to assess the impact of different land management approaches.
Purely Organic is the UK’s No.1 organic egg brand, and this project is part of a wider biodiversity action plan aimed at regenerating habitat diversity across its farms. As part of this initiative, the company is enhancing hedgerows, planting wildflower meadows, installing nesting sites for birds and bats, and creating shelter for invertebrates. By trialling these methods and monitoring their effects, the project will provide valuable insights into how sustainable farming practices can support thriving ecosystems while maintaining high organic standards.
Emily Marshall, agricultural sustainability manager at Noble Foods, said: “The biodiversity levels on our farms are incredibly important to us, and to our customers. Our farmers work intrinsically with the land, so to be the first in our sector to be using this technology, we’re ensuring our biodiversity efforts are backed by robust science and real-world data.”
The findings will help to shape future biodiversity strategies and could pave the way for the wider adoption of pollinator monitoring across Noble Foods’ supply chain. With growing consumer and retailer demand for greater transparency on sustainability and support for improved biodiversity levels, this project marks an important moment for British food producers, one that can lead the way in nature-friendly farming.
Casey Woodward, CEO & founder at AgriSound, said: “By using real-time pollinator monitoring, Noble Foods is playing a vital role in understanding how pollinator levels are changing across their supply base and how to intervene to make meaningful environmental improvements. We are delighted to partner with Noble Foods on this new exciting initiative.”
