UK | A first-of-its-kind low-carbon concept farm in Lincolnshire has successfully grown its first crop of highly sustainable potatoes, thanks to a partnership between Tesco and Branston.
Established last year to help farmers and suppliers reach net-zero targets through innovative solutions, the low-carbon concept farm is yielding successful results. Now, 500 tonnes of a customer-favourite variety, Georgina, are in Tesco Finest British All-Rounder and Baking Potato packs.
The potatoes have been grown using a combination of low-carbon growing techniques, such as circular-economy fertilisers like CCm, which lock in CO2 during the process.
Other techniques used include minimum cultivation without impacting yield or quality and transitioning the machinery’s fuel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which has a carbon footprint up to 90 percent lower than conventional fossil diesel.
The result is the same taste and texture customers expect from traditionally farmed potatoes, but at more than 50 percent lower carbon emissions.
Andy Blair, Branston’s field technical manager overseeing the operation at the concept farm, said it was a huge milestone to have achieved a lower average carbon footprint in the production of this crop of Georgina potatoes than conventional production averages.
The team is already looking at next steps for future crops of Georgina and other varieties, including a focus on cover crops to improve soil structure and retain nutrients, investing in R-Leaf fertiliser, and trialling a biomethane tractor.
“One of the aims of the farm is to test and learn from a variety of low-carbon approaches, which in turn can de-risk the process for other farms in our supply chain and further afield,” said Natalie Smith, Head of Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries at Tesco.
“Increasing funding for innovation in UK agriculture is one of the key recommendations in our Greenprint for UK Farming report, and it’s vital farmers can invest in new technology and approaches, if we’re to tackle the challenges caused by climate change and nature loss.”
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