We believe that great quality food starts with great farming. As one of the UK's biggest food retailers, with close working relationships with farmers all over the country, we're committed to supporting British farming and making sure the industry is innovative, competitive and sustainable.
The Morrisons Farming Programme
The Morrisons Farming Programme is a cross-farming industry initiative aimed at helping build a sustainable British farming industry able to feed future generations.
At the heart of the Programme is a network of farmer groups spanning the agricultural sector from beef to dairy to poultry. The groups act as a platform to generate ideas for applied research activity funded by Morrisons that can help build economic, environmental and social sustainability as well as delivery benefits to our customers.
Energy + efficiency
One area inspiring particular interest among our dairy farmers and supported by Morrisons is greater use of renewable energies - good for farm business profitability, reducing the cost base for our milk supply and with clear environmental benefits.
What emerged was the lack of concise, impartial, farmer friendly information on the range of renewable options available that farmers could consider before making any investment in these technologies for their own business. This led to Morrisons commissioning Newcastle University to produce a report to meet farmers' needs.
What the report looked at
What farmers told us they wanted was an independent investigation of where they could make energy efficiencies in a typical dairy business, and what options there would be to introduce different renewable energy options.
Key findings
The report indicates that greater use of renewable energy has the potential to help dairy farmers cut costs by as much as 30%, a yearly saving of over £3,000 on a typical dairy farm. All of which adds up and will help to drive out costs, not just for farmers but ultimately for us and our customers.
Industry carbon footprint targets - the wider context
Reducing the carbon footprint of agriculture is a challenge facing the entire industry. Both UK and EU legislation has set targets for the reduction of environmentally damaging emissions.
Through engagement with Government and the industry and by providing practical support and research, we are not just demonstrating our commitment to British farming but helping to safeguard it for the future.