By Andrew Mellonie

As a Senior Agronomist at M&S, I am passionate about food, where it comes from and how it’s grown. I love finding new ways of doing things, whether that’s to improve soil quality, increase the amount of crop or farm in ways that work with nature. 

As the innovation lead on agronomy team, I am thrilled to share the results of one of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on this year. Parsnips grown with a lower carbon footprint are now available in select M&S Foodhalls across the country – there’s a list below to see if they are available locally to you! 

We worked in close collaboration with long-term, family-owned root vegetable supplier Huntapac on this exciting trial. We brought together all the latest technology including drones, robots and AI on one field in Yorkshire. 

This cutting-edge farming technology included two robots for bed forming, planting and weeding, and two types of drones to monitor and maintain crop health. As well as carbon impact, we also monitored soil health, with the latest scientific testing and wildlife biodiversity improved through incorporating measures from M&S’ Farming with Nature programme, using AgriSound technology – which is specialist technology that monitors pollinator numbers with specialist listening devices situated on the farm. 

It was the first M&S Food project which was possible through the M&S Plan A Accelerator fund and one I am personally very proud of. The Plan A Accelerator Fund is designed to help us innovate and find new ways to take action towards net zero. Our Plan A goal is to be a Net Zero business across our operations and our entire supply chain by 2040 and we will only meet this objective through partnerships with our amazing network of suppliers. 

We saw a huge carbon reduction of almost 50%, compared to standard farming methods, which shows the impact this technology could have if rolled out. 

What stands out to me are the number of benefits – besides carbon reduction - that have stemmed from this trial. We found that there was more pollinator activity compared to standard fields via AgriSound - a brilliant additional environmental benefit to farming this way.

We also saw that the field produced high quality vegetables - so you know that the parsnips you serve with your next roast dinner will not only be doing good for the planet - but will taste just that bit better for it. 72% of picked parsnips from this field are grade one – a strong result that I am proud to share.

The higher quality is the result of many factors, but I think one of the great benefits of our trial is that we were able to reduce the impact of weather. Last year when the parsnips needed to be planted it was incredibly wet weather, but the autonomous technology meant the team were able to plant despite the ground being wet, which would not have been possible with the traditional method of using a tractor. 

The success of this autonomous field trial marks a hugely important step for the farming industry, and one I am very proud of. These latest technologies will create more highly skilled jobs and attract new talent into the sector. 

The future of farming is close to my heart, and I feel privileged to have been part of such an innovative trial. The parsnips are hitting shelves today and will be available in the following M&S stores for approximately a week. I can’t wait to roast mine up this weekend.

Store List
Abbey Centre Belfast
Acorn Park
Alnwick Fh
Alton Sf
Amersham Sf
Anlaby Hull Sf
Archway
Arena Park Coventry
Armagh Sf
Arnison Centre Durham
Ashbourne Sf
Ashby De La Zouch
Ashtead Sf
Ashton Moss
Athlone
Aylesbury
Aylesbury Broadfields Sf
Aylesford Sf
Ballymena
Banbridge Sf
Bangor Ni
Bankside Sf
Banstead Sf
Barnes Sf
Barnsley Retail Park
Barnstaple
Basingstoke
Bath
Bath Rd Slough Sf
Battersea Power Station
Beaconsfield Sf
Beckenham Sf
Beehive Cambridge Sf
Berkhamsted Sf
Beverley Sf
Bexhill
Bexleyheath
Bicester Fh
Biggleswade Retail Park
Binley Coventry Sf
Birstall Sf
Bishop Auckland Sf
Bishopsgate
Blackburn
Blackheath Sf
Blackpole Sf
Blackrock
Blanchardstown
Blandford Forum
Bluewater
Bognor Regis
Borehamwood Sf
Boucher Rd Belfast Sf
Bourne
Bracknell Lexicon
Braintree Sf
Brent Cross
Brentwood
Bridgwater Sf
Brighton
Bristol Avonmead Sf
Bristol Eastgate
Broadstone
Bromley
Brooklands
Brotherhood Peterborough
Burnley
Burton
Bury St Edmunds
Bury The Rock
Camberley
Cambridge
Camden Town Sf
Canary Wharf Sf
Canterbury
Canvey Island Sf
Carden Avenue Brighton Sf
Cardiff
Cardinal Place Victoria
Carmarthen
Carrickfergus Sf
Castlepoint
Chalfont St Peter Sf
Chancery Lane Sf.
Charlton
Chelmsford
Cheltenham
Chepstow Sf
Cheshunt
Chesterfield Ravenside Fl
Chichester
Chilwell Nottingham Sf
Chineham Sf
Chippenham
Chipping Norton
Chiswick Sf
Christchurch Sf
Clacton Brook Park
Clapham
Clapham South Sf
Cleveland Middlesbrough
Clonmel
Coleraine Riverside
Colindale
Colliers Wood
Cookstown Sf
Corby Sf
Cork
Cortonwood
Coventry
Cowes Sf
Cowley Rd Oxford Sf
Craigavon
Cramlington Sf
Cranleigh Sf
Crawley
Crescent Link Sf
Cribbs Causeway
Crouch End Sf
Crown Point Leeds
Crownhill Plymouth Sf
Croydon
Crystal Peaks
Culverhouse Cross
Dalston Sf
Dartford Sf
Dartmouth Sf
Derby Derbion
Devizes Sf
Didcot
Doncaster
Dorking
Dover St James
Dulwich
Dundrum
Ealing Broadway
Earls Court Sf
Earlsfield
East Dulwich Station
Eastbourne
Eastleigh
Ecclesall Road Sheffield Sf
Eclipse Park Maidstone
Eden High Wycombe
Edgware Rd
Eltham
Enfield
Enniskillen
Epping Sf
Epsom
Evesham
Exebridges Exeter Sf
Exeter
Exmouth
Fargate Sheffield
Ferndown
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Pavement
Flowerdown
Fosse Park
Fountains Rp Tunbridge Wells
Foyleside
Friern Barnet
Frome Sf
Gainsborough Sf
Galway
Gapton Hall Sf Great Yarmouth
Gateshead Team Valley Sf
Gateway M40 Banbury
Giltbrook
Glossop Sf
Gloucester New
Gosforth Sf
Gosport
Grafton St Dublin
Grantham Sf
Green Park Sf
Greenford Sf
Grimsby
Guernsey
Guernsey St Llslet
Guernsey St Martins
Guildford
Guisborough
Guiseley Sf
Hackney
Halifax
Hammersmith
Hampstead Sf
Harpenden Sf
Harrogate
Harrow
Hartlepool Sf
Haslemere
Hastings
Havant
Haverfordwest
Hayle
Haywards Heath
Hedge End
Hemel Hempstead
Hempstead Valley
Hereford
Hertford Sf
Hitchin Sf
Horsham
Huddersfield Simply Foods
Huntingdon
Ilkeston Sf
Ilkley Sf
Imperial Rp Bristol Sf
Interchange Bedford
Ipswich
Islington
Jersey Old School
Kensington
Kenton Bar
Kew
Kilburn Sf
Killarney
Kings Lynn
Kings Rd
Kingsley Village
Kingston
Kingsway Derby Sf
Kingswood Hull Sf
Knaresborough
Ladymead Guildford
Lakeside Thurrock
Launceston Sf
Leamington
Leamington Shopping Park
Leeds
Leeds White Rose
Leicester Thurmaston Sf
Leighton Buzzard Fh
Letterkenny
Lewisham
Liffey Valley Dublin
Lincoln
Lincoln Tritton Road
Lisburn
Llanelli Parc Trostre
Llanishen Cardiff Sf
London Colney
London Square Streatham Hill
Longwater Norwich Sf
Longwell Green Bristol
Loughborough Sf
Loughton Sf
Lower Earley Sf
Lowestoft
Lymington Sf
Maidenhead
Maldon Sf
Malone Lisburn Rd Sf
Malvern
Manchester
Mannington Swindon Sf
Mansfield
Marble Arch
Marlow Sf
Marshalswick
Martlesham Heath Sf
Mary St Dublin
Matlock Sf
Maybird Stratford U Avon Sf
Maybrook Canterbury Sf
Mayflower Basildon
Meadowhall
Merthyr Tydfil
Metro Centre
Mill Hill Sf
Milton Keynes
Monmouth Sf
Moortown Leeds Sf
Morpeth Sanderson
Mumbles
Muswell Hill Sf
Navan
Netherfield Nottingham Sf
New Change Sf
New Malden - Ik
New Milton
Newark Maltings
Newbridge
Newbury
Newcastle
Newport Gwent Sf
Newport Iow
Newport Rp
Newry The Quays
Newtownbreda
Northallerton New Sf
Norton College Sheffield Sf
Norwich
Notting Hill Sf
Nottingham
Oadby Sf
Oatlands Harrogate Sf
Ocean Rp Ports
Old Street
Omagh
Omni Park Dublin
Orbital Swindon
Orpington Nugent Park
Oxford
Pantheon
Petersfield Sf
Pinchington Lane Newbury Sf
Pinner Sf
Plymouth
Pontardulais Road
Pontefract Sf
Portfield Chichester
Princes Risborough Sf
Pudsey
Purley Way
Queens Park
Rawtenstall
Rayleigh Sf
Reading
Reigate Sf
Richmond
Rickmansworth Sf
Ripon Fh
Rochdale Riverside
Romford
Royston
Rugby Elliotts
Rushden Lakes
Salisbury
Scarborough
Scunthorpe Rp
Sears Solihull
Serpentine Green Sf
Sevenoaks
Shirley Fh
Shoreham
Sidcup
Silverlink Newcastle
Sittingbourne
Sixfields Northampton Sf
Skegness Sf
Skipton Sf
South Woodford Sf
Southampton West Quay
Southbank Place
Southend
Southfields Sf
Southgate Sf
St Albans
St Clements Jersey Sf
St Hellier Jersey
St Johns Jersey Sf
St Neots Sf
St Peters Jersey Sf
Stadium Milton Keynes
Staines Two Rivers Fh
Stamford Sf
Stane Park Colchester
Stevenage Retail Park
Stratford City London
Stratford Upon Avon
Streatham High Road Sf
Strood Sf
Summertown Sf
Sunbury Cross Sf
Surbiton Ik
Sutton
Swansea
Sweet Briar Norwich Sf
Swiss Cottage Sf
Talbot Green
Taunton
Teddington Sf
Teesside
Temple Fortune Sf
The Galleries
The Springs Leeds
Tiverton Sf
Tolworth Sf
Tonbridge Sf
Torbay
Tottenham Court Rd Sf
Tring Sf
Trowbridge Sf
Truro Lemon Quay
Tunbridge Wells
Twickenham Sf
Uckfield
Upminster Sf
Upper Rd Belfast Sf
Uxbridge
Vangarde Monks
Village Douglas Cork Sf
Wakefield
Walton On Naze
Walton On Thames
Warren Rp
Waterlooville Sf
Waterside
Watford
Wellingborough Sf
West Bridgford Sf
West Hampstead
West Park
West Wickham Sf
Westbourne Sf
Weston Lock Bath Sf
Westway Chelmsford Sf
Westwood Cross
Wetherby Sf
Weymouth
Wheatley Hall Road Doncaster Sf
Whetstone Sf
White City
Whiteley Village Fareham
Whitstable Sf
Wimbledon Sf
Winchester
Windsor
Witney
Woking
Woodley Reading
Woolwich Sf
Worcester
Worthing
Wycombe Marsh Sf
Yate Sf
Yeovil
York