Waitrose has announced the recipients of a new £500k fund aimed at helping British farmers transition to low carbon farming methods, as part of its commitment to reach net zero across its UK farms by 2035 and the entire supply chain by 2050.
The net zero farm fund will support nine innovative projects that reduce agricultural emissions and build resilience in farming.
James Bailey, Managing Director, Waitrose said, “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.”
Waitrose invited over 2,000 farmers and suppliers to apply. Nine successful applicants – all of whom directly supply Waitrose – will now implement projects designed to reduce environmental impact and improve sustainability.
The new projects span a range of low carbon innovations, 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.
Additionally, some farms 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.
Clair Brettell, Egg Producer said, “As Organic egg producers, we’re always talking about improving bird welfare and encouraging biodiversity on the fields where our hens range. The net zero grant fund by Waitrose is a fabulous initiative to support farmers. We’re excited to be working with Waitrose on our project, to have a positive impact on the environment and lead to more sustainable practices on our farm.”
Daniel Zeichner, Minister for Food Security and 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.”
“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.”
Building on the £1m investment for Farming for Nature, the new fund is a key step in the programme, which is committed to provide access to affordable finance and provide resources to support their transition to regenerative and low carbon farming.
Waitrose has long supported British farmers and is strongly committed to sourcing products from British farmers, particularly for own-brand fresh produce.
Winning projects
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 trialing cover cropping: trialling of cover cropping in orchard systems, to reduce artificial inputs and improve fruit quality.
Eggs and broccoli farms trialing 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 trialing 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. Trialing 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.