Dairy
Find out more about our approach to sourcing milk
Establishing and maintaining clear minimum sourcing standards
- We require complete supply chain traceability
- As a minimum all our farms must be independently assured to UK Red Tractor standards and additionally our fresh milk pool farms must be RSPCA Assured
- Sourcing must be in accordance with our Farm Animal Health and Welfare Policy
- We require producers to adhere to our policy on responsible antimicrobial use. We do not permit routine use of antimicrobials and the use of growth promoting antibiotics and hormones is prohibited
- UK labour providers used to provide temporary labour must have a valid license with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority
- Suppliers and farms must comply with the relevant M&S Select Farm Sourcing Standards and M&S Codes of Practice (see below)
Farms producing milk for M&S organic milk must comply with the organic standards for milk laid down by UK approved Certification Bodies listed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
- Freedom from hunger and thirst
- Freedom from discomfort
- Freedom from pain, injury or disease
- Freedom to express normal behaviour
- Freedom from fear and distress
- Review the health and safety risks on their site and identify how to communicate them effectively to workers
- Understand the steps they need to take to effectively screen new workers to ensure they have the right to work and are of the right age
- Provide contracts to ensure farmers and their workers are clear on their contractual rights and responsibilities
- Accurately record hours and provide payslips to workers
Supporting programmes that further our understanding and build capacity within our supply chain
- Feed
- Animal welfare
- Environment
- Ethical / labour standards
- Carbon
- Ongoing development and rollout of Welfare Outcome Measures (see below)
- Development of Outcome Measures to understand environmental impact, including collaboration with Cool Farm Alliance
- Responsible use of animal medicines
- Improved foot health in dairy cattle
- Improved cow comfort for dairy cattle
Category | Sustainability Measure |
Welfare Measures | |
Liveability | Percent (%) adult cow and heifer mortality |
Disease | Antimicrobial use by type, dose and treatment case |
Percent (%) cows treated for mastitis | |
Injury | Percent (%) cows showing comfort indicators (swellings or abrasions) |
Mobility | Percent (%) herd lameness (mobility score 3 or above) |
Behaviour | Maximum herd stocking density when housed |
Presence / absence of enrichment provision (loafing area, cow brushes) | |
Environmental Measures | |
Climate Change | Percent (%) total energy use from renewable source |
Land System Change | Proportion (%) of diet in competition with human diets (non-forage based) |
Proportion (%) of diet components from certified sustainable sources | |
Freshwater Use | Percent (%) total water use from renewable/recycled water use (non-mains) |
Biodiversity | Percent (%) of total area not in production, set aside and managed for wildlife, or protected and condition (if known) |
Percent (%) total land (Ha) that is protected (including SSSI, SPA, SAC, ELS/HLS, etc) and condition (if known) | |
N and P Flows | Presence / absence of soil testing programme (annually / 2 years / 5 years / none) |
Proportion manure handled under safe management and storage | |
Chemical Pollution | Percent total waste routinely recycled |
Supporting programmes which enhance the lives of people and communities
Performance summary
We're committed to reporting on our use of animal welfare and environmental outcome-indicators. In 2017, we began to report on a number of key measures below:
Dairy products
Measures | Dairy products including milk as an ingredient and powders (UK)1 | ||||
2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
Percent (%) products sourced from cows that are free from tethering | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Percent (%) dairy cows free from tail docking | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
1 Dairy products (e.g. continental cheeses) sourced from the EU make up less than 5% of total supply.
M&S Dairy - Fresh Milk Pool
Measures | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Average percent (%) cows with access to pasture for more than 4-5 hours per day | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Average percent (%) animals routinely dehorned across all herds | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Percent (%) calves provided with enrichment from week 6 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Proportion (%) herds provided with enrichment (cow brushes & loafing areas) | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Antibiotic usage | 9 mg/PCU | 10.8 mg/PCU | 10.2 mg/PCU |
Antibiotic usage (antibiotic courses/cow) | 0.96 |
Outcome measures | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Mobility: Average (median) percent (%) cows with lameness (score 3) for all herds | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.80 |
Udder health: Average (median) percent (%) cows with mastitis | 25 | 26 | 20.3 | 20 | 17.9 |
Cow comfort: Average (median) percent (%) cows with swellings and abrasions (score 3) | 2.3 | 3.4 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.80 |
Mortality: Average (median) percent (%) cow mortality (unplanned cow deaths) | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3.4 | 3.60 |
Mortality: Average (median) percent (%) heifer calf mortality (first year of life) | 5.8 | 6.1 | 3.8 | 6.2 | 7.60 |
Note: Median scores are reported for all measures. Increase in scores in 2016 likely impacted by development of assessment approach to include more stringent criteria.
We will publish our year-on-year performance against a more comprehensive set of outcome measures from 2018. We aim to use this data to shape future production standards and drive a continual improvement culture across our farm supply base.