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Nestlé has entered a three-and-a-half-year collaboration with BirdLife Europe to assess how regenerative agriculture practices can support biodiversity and nature restoration across European farmland.
The science-led programme will monitor farmland birds, butterflies and wild bees, comparing their presence in fields using regenerative agriculture practices with those managed through conventional farming methods.
The findings will help identify which agricultural practices deliver the greatest biodiversity benefits and inform Nestlé's approach to farmer support and responsible sourcing.
Monitoring will begin in 2026 in Spain, building on biodiversity research conducted by Nestlé and SEO/BirdLife on dairy farms since 2021. The programme will also launch in Poland with OTOP (BirdLife Poland), with Belgium joining in 2027 alongside Natuurpunt/Natagora.
The collaboration comes amid concerns over declining European farmland biodiversity. According to the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme, farmland bird populations across Europe fell by 58% between 1980 and 2024, with agricultural intensification identified as the main contributing factor.
Through the programme, BirdLife's national partners will use established survey methods to monitor wildlife on participating farms, providing comparable data over time.
Nestlé said the research would help assess how regenerative agriculture can contribute to more resilient food systems by supporting soil health, water conservation, biodiversity and carbon capture, while also strengthening farmers' livelihoods.
Anita Wälz, head of sustainability and corporate communications at Nestlé Zone Europe, said: “We want to back farmers with the science, the tools and the long-term commitment to help them farm in ways that aim to support nature and their businesses.
“This is about learning honestly what works. Birds are one of the most trusted signals nature can give us. Together with BirdLife, we are measuring selected bird populations in participating European farming areas to help assess changes in on-farm biodiversity.”
Ariel Brunner, director of BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, added that intensive farming was contributing to biodiversity loss, soil depletion and increased vulnerability to climate change.
He said the food industry had an important role to play in supporting the transition towards more sustainable agricultural practices, but emphasised the need for robust scientific evidence to determine which approaches should be prioritised.
The partnership aims to provide that evidence, helping Nestlé, BirdLife and participating farmers understand where regenerative agriculture can deliver measurable environmental improvements and where farming approaches may need to be adapted.
