esco is urging the UK government to establish a clear, long-term policy for food and agriculture to secure the future of farming in the country. The retailer has unveiled plans to launch low-carbon concept farms in its supply chain that can enable farmers and suppliers to slash emissions. 

The recommendations are based on a report by Tesco in collaboration with Harper Adams University in Newport, UK, with input from 300 farmers on the industry’s sustainability.

Many farmers reported seeing the impact of climate change on their farms but are pushing off adopting sustainability measures due to a lack of funds and policy uncertainty.

“As the biggest customer of UK agriculture, we know providing our customers with healthy, affordable and sustainable food wouldn’t be possible without the expertise and dedication of our farmers across the country,” says Ashwin Prasad, CCO, Tesco.

“But to continue to thrive in the future, the industry needs more certainty and support. Many of the solutions we need exist today, but the government and the food industry need to ensure we have the right incentives in place so that UK agriculture can reach its potential as a driver of both sustainability and economic growth.”

Prasad says Tesco has been incentivizing farmers to measure their carbon footprint and introducing products like low-carbon fertilizers to reduce environmental impact in the supply chain.

“We’re pleased to be building on this further with our new low carbon test farms, working with some of our supplier partners to understand the most effective ways to reduce emissions and environmental impact while continuing to bring the British public great quality food, at a price they can afford.”

Tackling on-farm emissions

The report’s findings reveal that 74% of farmers surveyed are worried about the effect of climate change on their farms, and two-thirds (67%) are already witnessing the effects.

Additionally, 76% say that high upfront costs have kept them from applying all the environmental measures they want, in addition to the risk of abysmal financial returns and an absence of policy support from the authorities.

“As the Greenprint report notes, farmers know the importance of tackling climate change — with most reporting, they already see its effect on their farms. The challenge of moving our food and farming systems toward Net Zero and ensuring food security simultaneously is huge. We need to work together to take it on,” says Harper Adams University’s deputy vice-chancellor, professor Michael Lee.

Tesco urges the government to support UK farmers better by providing long-term land use and food security plans. It says this plan should include improved funding for all stages of innovation that can contribute to sustainability.

The retailer draws attention to setting common environmental standards that farmers can consistently measure against to help streamline investment in the most successful and sustainable farming methods.

Low-carbon farms

Meanwhile, one of the two low-carbon farms is launched in partnership with potato supplier Branston, while the other is with livestock processor ABP.

These partnerships will test developments such as climate-friendlier fertilizers, alternative fuels, advanced cold storage and carbon sequestration techniques. They will also focus on improving soil health, grazing management, biodiversity management and genetic development while potentially laying the groundwork for a route to Net Zero.