Long-standing LEAF member Waitrose & Partners, unveils programme to accelerate nature-friendly farming plans for British farmers

Long-standing LEAF member, Waitrose & Partners have committed to support more than 2,000 of its British farmers to move to nature-friendly farming practices, helping to boost financial resilience of farms in the long-term and combat the effects of climate change. The move builds on the Partnership’s Plan for Nature and commitment for Waitrose’s UK farms to be Net Zero by 2035.

Unveiling the plan first to its British farmers at the 2024 Waitrose Farming Conference at LEAF Demonstration Farm in Hampshire, The Leckford Estate - where Waitrose has been farming regeneratively since 2020 - Executive Director, James Bailey, reinforced the supermarket’s dedication to revolutionising the UK food system.

The move comes in response to an industry wide need to shift to more resilient and nature-friendly practices. Plus demand from Waitrose customers, with four in ten worried about the impact modern farming has on nature and wildlife.

Speaking to farmers at the Waitrose farm, James Bailey - Executive Director, said:

“This is the beginning of a more than 10 year plan. We see that we have both a huge responsibility and key role to play in starting to implement change at the source - our British farmers - of where much of our fresh food comes from. We need to make an impact if we are to truly start to revolutionise the UK food system.

“We need to work together as supermarket retailers to achieve a more optimistic future that has high quality, nature positive food at its heart. We are committed to working tirelessly - as we do on our uncompromisable animal welfare standards - to provide meaningful support and collaboration for our amazing UK farmers. Some of them are already on this journey, and some who we will support to take the first steps.

“We absolutely do not know all of the answers, but we are happy to have the biggest ambitions to go out there and try. We want our customers to know that when they shop with us, they are supporting a food system that cares for the earth as much as they do, and that we are backing our farmers to safeguard their businesses."

Members of the LEAF technical team have developed written advice for farmers covering four crucial categories; soil, carbon, biodiversity and water, and together with Waitrose, will be setting up eight satellite farms on a three-year programme that are representative of a range of different types farming sectors including - beef, dairy, pig, poultry, top and soft fruit, root vegetables and glasshouse. The aim will be to produce best practice guidance that has been tested and shared more widely in supply chains, making it easier for farmers to know what really works and the impact changes could have and what they might cost.

David Webster, LEAF Chief Executive said:

“The agri-food sector increasingly recognises the urgent need to adopt farm management practices that sustain the natural environment while building resilience.

“We believe it is only by grounding interventions at farm level, within the context of working farm businesses that we can effectively accelerate change at pace and scale. We are therefore delighted to be supporting our longstanding food retail partner Waitrose on Farming for Nature - a highly innovative and far-sighted project.”

You can find out more about the project here.