Waitrose has announced nine recipients of a new £500,000 fund aimed at helping British farmers transition to low carbon farming methods.
The supermarket chain invited 2,000 farmers and suppliers to apply, and the nine selected – all of whom directly supply Waitrose – will now implement projects designed to reduce environmental impact.
A range of low carbon farming innovations are set to take place, including water and fertiliser recycling, establishing wilded habitats alongside traditional farming, testing cover cropping in orchards, and converting waste materials like poultry litter into fertiliser. The move is part of Waitrose’s commitment to reach net zero across its UK farms by 2035 and its entire supply chain by 2050.
James Bailey, managing director at Waitrose, commented: “We’re really pleased to be able to support our farmers with projects that will not only help drive down real emissions but help them invest in their futures.
“It’s a challenging time for farmers, yet we saw a real ambition from applicants to the fund to drive forward climate and nature friendly farming. We’re excited to see the projects come to life and all the amazing benefits they will bring.”
Some farms supported by the fund plan to introduce agroforestry and wildflower planting for better water management, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration, while others are exploring renewable energy and emissions tracking systems.
Daniel Zeichner, minister for food security & rural affairs, said: “Climate change is a significant threat to agriculture and our broader food system, and reducing emissions from the sector is vital to meeting our net zero commitments.
“I’m extremely pleased to see new funds, such as Waitrose’s net zero farm fund, support the adoption of low carbon farming practices.”
He added: “Funds such as these complement the government’s focus on ensuring farming becomes more profitable and businesses are viable for the future – delivering the long-term food security this country needs while protecting nature’s capacity to provide the stable climate, clean water and healthy soils that make farming possible.”
The £500,000 fund builds on Waitrose’s £1 million investment in a programme it has called ‘Farming for Nature’. The retailer is keen to give farmers access to affordable finance and provide resources to support their transition to regenerative and low carbon farming.
Winning projects
Waitrose hasn’t named the suppliers to receive funding but has described – in its own words – the projects, below:
- Soft fruit farm introducing wilded habitats: setting up a wilded habitat alongside intensive tabletop production, and lower carbon fertiliser and UV robot trials to reduce the need for fungicides on crops.
- Orchards trialling cover cropping: trialling of cover cropping in orchard systems, to reduce artificial inputs and improve fruit quality.
- Eggs and broccoli farms trialling waste fertiliser: converting poultry litter for use as fertiliser on broccoli farms.
- Beef farm introducing agroforestry for water management: agroforestry system and wildflower planting, to help combat water runoff and sequester carbon, improve biodiversity and provide shade for cattle.
- Egg farmers planting trees for biomass: planting of fast growing willow trees for bird welfare, carbon sequestration and biomass heat.
- Beef farm introducing agroforestry, wildflower planting and wetland management: new fencing and paddock setup to enable better pasture management for grazing cattle. Leading to better grass cover, improved soil health, feed efficiency and growth rates, improved welfare and lower emissions.
- Blackberry farm trialling water and fertiliser recycling: piloting a circular solution that captures irrigation runoff (water and fertiliser) that can then be recycled, to reduce water and fertiliser inputs.
- Dairy farms introducing emissions management service: a bespoke emissions management service for all Waitrose Dairy Farmers including 1:1 visits to review emissions baseline, progress and development of costed carbon reduction plans. Trialling a live farm manager platform with a carbon module to test and identify low carbon interventions in real time.
- Chicken farms creating fertiliser from litter: innovative development of fertilisers from litter conversion, and a fertiliser bagging system.
[image credit: Green Retail World]
