Suffolk pig farmers feed one million bees in pioneering project

Pig farming brothers have succeeded in feeding one million bees thanks to an innovative and pioneering project that saw them turn over half their land to wildflowers.

Four years ago Mark and Paul Hayward decided to farm 33 hectares – the equivalent of 83 football pitches – mainly around the pig site at Dingley Dell Pork in the most wildlife positive way. This involves planting nectar-rich blooms with the aim of embracing a more eco-friendly and sustainable way of farming.

And this week, under the guidance of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a scientific study was carried out monitoring insect activity on the plot – which found they were feeding one million bees at any one time.

“This was our target when we started – to grow enough to feed a million bees on a single day,” said Mark, a third-generation farmer. “We are acutely aware that bees are under threat from modern farming methods and that East Anglia is one of the worst offenders for bee foraging diversity.

“Every third bite of food you eat can be attributed to pollinators and we wanted to create operation on our farm that did not push nature out but rather embraced it – as a central part of our ecosystem and our food cycle.”