A low-carbon concept farm in Lincolnshire has produced its first commercial potato crop for the UK retail market through a partnership between Tesco and Branston.
The project was established last year to test production systems aimed at reducing carbon emissions and supporting net-zero targets. The first harvest totals 500 tonnes of the Georgina variety and will be available in UK stores from 23 February in Tesco Finest British All-Rounder and Baking Potato packs.
The potatoes were grown using a range of lower-carbon practices. These include circular economy fertilisers such as CCm, which incorporates CO2 in its production process, minimum cultivation methods, and the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel for machinery, which can reduce carbon emissions compared to fossil diesel. According to the partners, the crop was produced with more than 50% lower carbon emissions than conventional production averages.
© Tesco
"It's a huge milestone to have achieved a lower average carbon footprint in the production of this crop of Georgina potatoes, compared to conventional production averages. The findings from this process will support the wider industry in edging forward towards national sustainability targets, which is exactly the outcome we'd hoped for.
"The ambition of the low-carbon concept farm is not only to see how close we can get to a net-zero potato, but to understand the interactions between crops as you move from one to the next. We've got several crops in rotation, so now that we've made significant progress with the potatoes, we're looking at the carbon impact, soil health, and biological impact of the process," said Andy Blair, Branston's field technical manager overseeing the operation at the concept farm.
Future trials will focus on cover crops to support soil structure and nutrient retention, the use of R-Leaf fertiliser, and testing a biomethane tractor.
The concept farm is intended as a test platform to evaluate the transferability of these practices to other farms. "We've made huge progress, but to get to net zero, we're eager to work with others to see what technology and innovations can be used to take us even further," Blair said.
Natalie Smith, Head of Sustainable Agriculture and Fisheries at Tesco, said the farm aims to test a range of low-carbon approaches to reduce risk for other growers in the supply chain and inform future investment in agricultural innovation.
For more information:
Tesco
Email: [email protected]
www.tescoplc.com
