• More than 300 farmers across Europe already working with Mars to advance climate-smart agriculture practices on 60,900 hectares of land in parts of its pet care supply chain.
• Farmers across Europe report seeing "profitability returning", more consistent yields, "better soil structure" and crops that "look better" thanks to regenerative techniques like cover cropping, crop rotation and reduced tillage.
• This World Soil Day, Mars is calling on European policymakers to help farmers thrive by creating an enabling environment that promotes public-private partnerships, outcomes-based public policy, and harmonised measurement aligned with global standards.

On World Soil Day, Mars, Incorporated, a global leader in pet care products and services, confectionery, snacking and food and the maker of some of the world's most-loved brands, is joining with partners and farmers in Europe to call on policymakers and scientists across Europe to enable scalable solutions that support farmers in adopting climate-smart agriculture practices. As Europe strengthens its role in shaping global agrifood policy and drives momentum behind regenerative, outcome-based farming, the region has become a natural focus for accelerating climate-smart solutions.

Last year, Mars announced multiple partnerships with leading agricultural suppliers and technical implementation experts including Agreena, Biospheres, Soil Capital and others to deliver tailored support across Europe's diverse farming systems. Across Mars Petcare's European supply chain, more than 300 farmers have implemented climate-smart practices, across over 60,900 hectares, from using cover crops in Buckinghamshire, UK, to implementing no-till cultivation in Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland.

A year on from the last major announcement, farmers say these regenerative practices have shown positive results. Antony, a farmer in South-East England in a Mars climate-smart agriculture programme, said: "We are on heavy clay soils, which were very prone to water logging. [Since adopting regenerative practices] we are much less concerned about water logging as infiltration rates are better, and we don't worry so much about drought as water holding capacity is much improved. This has enabled us to operate a longer weather window, creating more field working days and reducing our labour charges accordingly", adding that the "crops look better and profitability is returning even in challenging years."

However, Mars emphasises that systemic climate-smart agriculture change requires greater collaboration, especially considering barriers facing farmers like financial risk and lack of technical training.

Paolo Rigamonti, Regional President Europe Pet Nutrition at Mars said "Europe's farmers play a vital role in improving soil health. Through regenerative techniques, they can store more carbon, improve water filtration, and support local ecosystems. Across Europe, Mars is investing to help farmers adopt these practices - but they can't do it alone. We need the right conditions in place, and policies that accelerate what is already working."

To accelerate this transformation and help farmers thrive, Mars is calling on policymakers and scientists to strengthen public policy that enables action at scale by:

• Unlocking public-private partnerships to deliver essential training, financial support, and technical assistance for farmers.
• Prioritising outcomes-based policies that respect regional differences and give farmers flexibility in how they achieve regenerative goals.
• Measuring impact through harmonized metrics aligned with global science-based standards such as Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and GHG Protocol.

Izabela, a farmer in northern Poland who has received financial and technical support for regenerative practices said her farm has benefitted from "increased water retention, which provides greater drought resistance and greater water absorption in the event of sudden heavy rains. We were still able to harvest this year, even though the fields were flooded after heavy rain in July." Highlighting the need for more outcome-based policies, Izabela said: "policy based on the results of specific agricultural practices supports the development of agriculture and provides freedom for proper management, while strict regulations detached from real needs and weather patterns can only harm farmers, the soil and crops."

Farmers in Mars climate-smart agriculture programmes need solutions that are tailored to Europe's diverse landscapes - from drought adaptation to carbon sequestration. Success requires the right support system to accelerate and scale these practices across Europe.

Norbert is a farmer in southern Hungary whose farm has been impacted by extremes of climate in recent years through prolonged dry periods. Improving climate resilience was among his motivations for implementing regenerative practices on his farm. Norbert said: "By abandoning rotational cultivation, the number of soil-dwelling organisms has increased significantly. The better soil structure and surface coverage can drain sudden rainfall faster, which usually results in a spectacular difference."

Through collaborative partnerships and a clear call to action for policymakers, scientists, and industry leaders, Mars continues its focus on scaling climate-smart agriculture in its value chain, which will help to deliver more than one million acres of regenerative practices across the globe by 2030. As part of the Mars Net Zero roadmap, scaling climate-smart agriculture across its value chain is one of several critical initiatives Mars is advancing to reduce its GHG footprint. In its Sustainable in a Generation Report 2024, Mars, Incorporated announced 1.9% GHG emissions reduction compared with 2023, with an overall absolute reduction of 16.4% across the full value chain against a baseline of 2015 worldwide.

Simon Haldrup, CEO at Agreena, said: "Scaling regenerative agriculture across Europe demands genuine collaboration between the private sector, policymakers, and farmers – especially as farmers face growing pressures. Through Agreena's partnership with Mars, we're helping deliver the financial support and verified measurement needed to unlock real change on the ground. On World Soil Day, we're reminded of the power beneath our feet, and Agreena echoes Mars' call for policymakers to create the enabling environment required to rapidly scale these proven practices across Europe's diverse farming landscapes."

Sébastien Roumegous, CEO at Biospheres, said: "Across Europe, the shift toward regenerative agriculture is progressing at uneven speeds. In countries like France, strong technical support helps farmers adopt new models, while in others, the lack of reliable local partners slows the transition. Our collaboration with Mars bridges this gap: it combines targeted financial support, robust scientific measurement, and hands-on agronomic guidance that farmers can trust. By working together, we're creating the conditions for regenerative practices to scale consistently across diverse landscapes and ensuring soils remain a foundation of resilience for future generations."

Chuck de Liedekerke, CEO at Soil Capital, said: "At Soil Capital, our ambition is to make regenerative agriculture the norm. Expanding regenerative practices across Europe depends on consistent collaboration between farmers, businesses, and policymakers. Our work with Mars rewards farmers who receive financial support because they deliver real, verified impact on the ground. The next step is for policymakers to put in place the framework to scale what's already working across Europe's diverse farm realities."