Sainsbury’s and Syngenta have now rolled out Operation Bumblebee which will attempt to stem and reverse the dwindling bumblebee numbers.

Over the last 30 years bumblebee numbers have declined by as much as 70% across the UK. Of our 20 or so species, one has become extinct recently and several other species on the verge of extinction.

The project will involve the specialist training of over 300 of Sainsbury’s growers who farm in excess of 80,000 hectares of UK farmland. Its aim is to grow vital pollen- and nectar-rich habitats on these farms, the food source for the bumblebee, which will in turn hopefully result in increased bumblebee numbers over the next three summers.

The project trains growers in the new skills required to manage these bumblebee habitats on their farms. This follows the success of the pilot project which is based on 5 years of scientific research by Syngenta to create the ideal bumblebee environment.

The pilot project included Marshall Bros, one of Sainsbury’s largest green vegetable suppliers, who have now planted 14 hectares of the mixture on their farms and allows Marshalls the platform to demonstrate that excellent environmental stewardship does have a direct affinity with both customers and the public alike.