TLDR: Somerset-based Wyke Farms, the UK’s largest independent cheesemaker, has launched a three-year ‘Birdsong for Biodiversity’ pilot project. In collaboration with nature-tech firm Chirrup.ai, the initiative will deploy AI-powered bioacoustic devices across Wyke Farms and ten pilot supplier farms to monitor birdsong, providing real-time data on biodiversity, soil quality, and water health. This project aims to scientifically baseline and improve nature’s health on their farms, aligning with sustainability goals and the UK Dairy Roadmap.
Wyke Farms, the prominent Somerset cheesemaker and the UK’s largest independent producer, has embarked on a pioneering sustainability initiative titled ‘Birdsong for Biodiversity’. This three-year pilot project, announced around August 20-21, 2025, aims to significantly enhance biodiversity monitoring across its dairy farms by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The initiative is a collaboration with Chirrup.ai, a UK-based nature-tech innovator, and involves deploying advanced bioacoustic devices across Wyke Farms’ own sites and ten selected pilot supplier farms in the Southwest of England.
The core of the project involves Chirrup.ai’s maintenance-free bioacoustic monitors, which capture and analyze birdsong in real-time. This data is then transformed into actionable biodiversity insights via an intuitive web platform. The technology enables farmers and land managers to accurately track bird species, assess overall ecosystem health, and support regenerative agriculture practices and sustainability reporting.
Bird populations are considered sensitive indicators of ecosystem health. By using birds as ‘bio-indicators’, the Chirrup.ai platform will generate insights not only into wildlife levels but also into crucial environmental factors such as soil quality and water health. This comprehensive approach allows participating farms to establish a baseline for biodiversity and track year-on-year progress, thereby aligning with broader environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals.
Rich Clothier, a third-generation cheesemaker and Managing Director at Wyke Farms, emphasized the project’s significance. He stated, “This project gives us the ability to baseline the health of nature on our farms in a scientific and consistent way using the perfect blend of technology in nature — and then work to improve it.” Clothier added that “Birds are fantastic early-warning indicators for the environment, and with Chirrup.ai’s technology we can see how our land stewardship is making a real difference year after year.”
Conrad Young, Founder of Chirrup.ai, praised Wyke Farms’ forward-thinking approach. He noted that Wyke Farms represents “an iconic group of West Country dairy farms, and is the first dairy processor to take advantage of Chirrup’s low-cost service under the UK Dairy Roadmap, which sets a target of 50% of farms monitoring biodiversity by 2030.” Young expressed his delight in working with pioneers like Rich Clothier and his team in 2025.
The pilot farms involved in the project are responsible for approximately 25% of the milk supplied to Wyke’s Bruton cheesemaking site. Monitoring is set to begin this month (August 2025), with annual reporting on metrics such as species richness and biodiversity trends. These metrics will support Wyke Farms’ ‘Green by Nature’ programme, which aims for ‘net positive’ production for supplier farms and aligns with the UK Dairy Roadmap’s biodiversity monitoring targets.
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Wyke Farms has a strong track record in sustainability, having achieved 100% self-sufficiency in renewable energy, generating all its electricity and gas from sources like solar power and biogas from farm and dairy waste. This new initiative further solidifies their commitment to environmental stewardship.
