Frequently Asked Questions
What is different about essential Waitrose Milk?
 The essential Waitrose Milk Scheme guarantees top quality milk and a fair deal for the supplying farmers.
The key points of difference are:
- UK's highest quality milk;
- Purchased exclusively for Waitrose from 65 farms individually known to us;
- Bought at the fairest milk price (Waitrose farmers receive a significant premium for their milk);
- Produced using sustainable practices to protect and enhance the environment and countryside
- Management on the farms ensures that the highest levels of care for animal welfare are taken.
How does WildCare enhance essential Waitrose milk?
- The WildCare Scheme further enhances essential Waitrose Milk as it pays a premium to its dairy farmers and is dedicated to continual improvement via a sustainable dairy industry.
- Waitroses Dairy Farmers take great pride in their environment - dedicating time and energy to manage their farms in a positive and responsible way, which safeguards the future of the countryside and encourages increased numbers and varieties of wildlife.
- The WildCare initiative ensures all Waitrose Dairy Farmers dedicate a minimum of 10% of their farms to wildlife habitats, with the aim of improving biodiversity and species numbers on their land.
- The WildCare initiative creates 'wildlife corridors' on Waitrose dairy farms helping to conserve hedgerows, ditches, watercourses and field margins.
- Waitrose Dairy Farmers work with specialist wildlife advisors to develop Farm Wildlife Action Plans, with the aim of protecting and further enhancing the wildlife on their farms.
- Each farm is monitored regularly to record changes in species numbers and biodiversity
- The WildCare scheme has been developed especially and exclusively for the Waitrose Dairy Farmers Milk group, and is independently endorsed and monitored by The Wildlife Trusts.
- The essential Waitrose Milk Scheme was launched in 1999 and includes 65 farms producing high quality milk with sustainable farming practices, including providing habitats for many species of plants, insects, birds, waterlife and mammals.
Who can be a part of this WildCare Scheme?
The WildCare Scheme is currently exclusive to our 65 Waitrose Dairy Farm Milk producers, who supply high quality milk, produced through sustainable farming practices including providing habitats for many species of plants, insects, birds, water life and mammals.
How was the Waitrose Dairy Farm Milk pool determined?
In 1999 Waitrose Dairy Farmers (formerly Select Farm) were chosen for their high standards of quality milk. The Scheme has evolved over the last eight years and now encompasses other excellence factors such as farm management practices, care for the countryside and animal welfare.
Are there any plans to expand this WildCare Scheme into other areas?
WildCare is a bespoke Scheme that is offered to a dedicated pool of dairy farmers (e.g. the Waitrose Dairy Farmers Milk pool) under an exclusive arrangement.
We will be monitoring the initiative and its success in protecting and enhancing wildlife on our dairy producers' farms on an ongoing basis.
Who is paying for WildCare?
Since the launch of our Waitrose Dairy Farmers (formally Select Farm) group in 1999, Waitrose has consistently paid one of the market's highest premiums to its farmers, in return for superior quality milk and farm management practices.
By paying a premium, Waitrose enables its farmers to meet costs, make a profit and reinvest in their dairies. WildCare represents part of this reinvestment.
Will any farms have public access to see this 'good practice'?
There are obviously opportunities for Waitrose Dairy Farmers to engage with Waitrose shoppers and other parties within their local communities, eg schools. This will be dependent upon the individual farmer, but it is envisaged that engagement with the public will develop over time and Waitrose will assist in facilitating this process on farms.
What are the benefits of the WildCare Scheme to The Wildlife Trusts' members?
The Wildlife Trusts have benefited financially from this partnership and this will benefit the local Wildlife Trusts - in particular those that are in the counties from where the milk is sourced.
We will all benefit from the wildlife gains we expect to see as a result of the WildCare standards implemented.
Do the Wildlife Trusts endorse any other dairy farm wildlife scheme?
No - within the dairy sector The Wildlife Trusts' only endorse WildCare. The Trusts do also endorse a wildlife scheme for blackcurrants in the horticulture sector.
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