Waitrose launches regenerative-farming logo on own-brand milk

Waitrose has added a new on-pack logo to its own-brand fresh milk to mark the beginning of what it calls its dairy farmers’ regenerative-farming journey. The “Championing Regenerative Farming” mark will appear on all of the retailer’s own-brand fresh milk.

Waitrose said its fresh milk and cream are already entirely free-range. Its 40 dedicated British dairy suppliers turn their cattle out to graze for a minimum of 183 days annually. Updated packaging carrying the logo is due to reach Waitrose shops and its online service from September.

Charlotte Di Cello, Waitrose’s chief commercial officer, said the retailer was “immensely proud” to work with farmers taking active steps to farm with nature. She said the logo was intended to reassure customers that the farmers supplying everyday products were taking action to protect nature.

Stuart Rogers, who runs Longmoor Farm in Dorset, is among the farmers cited by Waitrose. Measures at the farm include growing cover crops, which the retailer says help protect and regenerate living soil, retain carbon and reduce water run-off. The farm is also planting trees in grazing fields, a practice known as agroforestry, and measuring and improving its baseline biodiversity.

Longmoor Farm removed soya from its cattle feed about ten years ago. It switched to home-grown maize planted without ploughing, reducing disturbance to the soil. Mr Rogers has also planted hedgerows containing willow, poplar, maple and hazel to provide shelter and varied grazing for the farm’s Holstein cattle.

Mr Rogers said the group of farmers had been pursuing many of these practices for about 20 years, but that the work now carried greater urgency. He described the group as able to respond quickly to challenges and said farmers were learning that the measures made their businesses more resilient.

Research commissioned by Waitrose found that customers associate higher food quality with sustainability at farm level. Among respondents, 53% of people aged under 45 and 58% of those aged 45 and over said they were most interested in food produced through nature-friendly farming methods. The survey covered 1,095 participants and was conducted from July 2 to July 17, 2026.