Dairy Farmers Unite To Bring Back Threatened Swifts And Swallows To UK Countryside

In recent years these species, which are all summer migrants and fly 6000 miles to Africa to raise their young and feed on insects, have been dwindling and failing to return due to habitat loss and climate change.

But now Tesco is working with its network of 500 dairy farmers on a project to provide a safe haven for these migratory birds and boost biodiversity.

The farmers, all members of the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group (TSDG), are being encouraged to install 5000 nest boxes on their farmland – an ideal habitat to the birds as it provides them with a natural shelter and also their insect diet.

Among the group taking part are Nina and Jon Sigley, pictured, who look after a herd of 130 cows near the small town of Leek in north Staffordshire.

Working closely with WWF, the TSDG promotes initiatives that support biodiversity across British farms and reduce their carbon emissions, including providing funding for farmers to plant herbal leys in their cow pastures.

TSDG farms have been providing Tesco and its customers with high quality fresh milk for more than 15 years, and in return, the supermarket guarantees long-term contracts and the financial security they need to invest in making their farms more sustainable.