The Pernod Ricard business dedicated to Scotch whisky and which makes Chivas Regal and Aberlour has announced a new agriculture programme supporting sustainable farming practices in Scotland.
Chivas Brothers is aiming to help Scottish barley growers represented by Bairds Malt and Scotgrain make environmental improvements – and it is a key part of Pernod Ricard sustainability strategy.
Initially launched as the ‘Dalmunach Growers Pilot Group’, the programme is a collaboration between Chivas Brothers, Bairds Malt – a malt producer for the brewing and distilling industry in the UK and internationally – and Scotgrain, which supplies arable inputs, agronomy, procurement and marketing of grains, oilseeds and pulses.
Pernod Ricard wants the organisations to work collaboratively to facilitate and further the continuous improvement on farms, and to help future-proof the livelihoods of farmers in regional Scottish communities. The drinks company said working together can help secure the supply of barley – a critical ingredient in the whisky making process – and reduce Chivas Brothers’ indirect carbon footprint.
It added that roughly a third of Chivas Brothers’ carbon footprint comes from the growing and processing of its agricultural raw materials – including the manufacturing of fertiliser, production of barley and malting. Chivas Brothers is one of the biggest purchasers of malted barley in Scotland, so the sustainable farming work undertaken as part of this project can have a major impact and will provide an influential case study for others.
The pilot will run over a three- to five-year period and comprises eight farmers who have voluntarily elected to be a part of the first on-farm trial. As part of the work, the companies will look to improve soil health – to create a more resilient growing process – and enhance biodiversity, which will include analysing fertiliser use and cover-cropping to wildflower strips.
Ronald Daalmans, environmental sustainability manager at Chivas Brothers, said: “Establishing partnerships with our growers represents a critical moment in Chivas Brothers’ sustainability journey.
“The ongoing impact of climate change means our growers are having to adapt their practices – and many are faced with tough decisions regarding sustainable practices because it is cost prohibitive to implement new techniques without certainty of how they’ll affect crops through the growing cycle.”
He added: “Working together makes us stronger – not only to reduce carbon emissions at pace, but also to provide invaluable insights that can benefit the farming community at large.”
Victoria Buxton, agronomist & farm business manager at Bairds Malt, added: “To have the support of Chivas Brothers reinforces that climate change is an issue that affects the whole supply chain and we’re all equally invested.”
Pernod Ricard said sustainable farming insights will be shared with the full cohort of circa 60 farmers under the Bairds Malt and Scotgrain communities at regular growers group meetings.
The move comes after the major UK grocers have all, in recent months, committed to helping develop more sustainable farming practices throughout their supply chains.
[image credit: Green Retail World]
