Tesco plans to start selling potatoes and other crops grown on a farm hosting trials for emerging innovations that have potential to decarbonise food production.
The supermarket recently unveiled its arable “low-carbon concept farm” in Lincolnshire, a multi-year commitment launched in January to test methods of reducing planet-heating greenhouse gas emissions caused by farming.
Farmers recently started testing some of the new products and techniques on various crops in the fields of Langrick Farm, near Boston.
Tesco is working in partnership with potato supplier Branston and collaborating with pea, wheat and broccoli suppliers on a seven-year crop rotation to minimise disease and boost soil health.
Branston has been using some of the lower-carbon techniques across 20 acres on the farm.
The company said it expects to harvest about 520 tonnes of potatoes from that section, which could supply about 260,000 two-kilogram packs of potatoes to Tesco shelves later this year.
Plans also involve trialling innovations over the next few years that range from robotic tilling, low-nitrogen crop varieties and alternative fuels to biomass heating, pollinator cover crops and anaerobic digesters.
R-Leaf, a product that converts nitrogen pollutants from the atmosphere into plant feed, Ccm Technologies’ low-carbon fertiliser and Omnia, a system designed to map farms and gather data, are among the technologies already out in the fields.
Langrick is one of two so-called “low-carbon concept farms” that Tesco announced in January, the second of which is a collaboration with livestock producer ABP, where the trials are currently less established.
It is understood Tesco is supporting the farms financially in the initiative, through its contracts with the suppliers.
By exploring which innovations are economically viable and have real-world measured impacts, the supermarket hopes to de-risk green investments for its supply base.
The trials will take several years although they come at a time when 2030 climate targets are fast approaching and increasingly extreme climate patterns are already affecting British farms.
Asked why Tesco is spearheading the trials, Ashwin Prasad, the supermarket’s UK chief executive, said the supermarket has a “vested interest” in a resilient food economy.
“Being the leading retailer in the UK, I do think we have a responsibility to lead for the things that create a path for food security, better environmental outcomes, better outcomes for farming families and communities,” he told the PA news agency.
Some Tesco farmers have told the supermarket that scale-up innovation is inaccessible and expensive, and the risk of investing in unproven technologies too high, according to Mr Prasad.
One aim of the trials is to help de-risk low carbon investments for suppliers by establishing which technologies work but are also financially viable for the farmers.
The supermarket has not yet outlined a formal strategy on how it will incentivise suppliers to invest in and adopt proven technologies beyond the trials.
But Mr Prasad said the supermarket will likely share the findings with its sustainable farming groups – a platform for Tesco farmers and suppliers to collaborate on best practices for sustainability and animal welfare – before exploring opportunities for scale.
“It’s early days still,” Mr Prasad said. “I think the first thing we’ve got to do is just make sure we don’t run before we’ve really learnt how to walk in this space, given these are new and emerging technologies, and give ourselves enough time to feel confident about them.”
On whether the cost of investing in these technologies will ultimately be pushed on to farmers or shoppers, he said: “Consumers are really facing tough times in the UK.
“Our role is to also champion them for value and then work through those relationships … with our suppliers to say ‘How can we accelerate the technologies that do the things consumers are looking for without exorbitant cost increases?’”
A key tool for encouraging farmers to take on these technologies will likely be long-term contracts, he said, adding that this can provide them with certainty to make investment decisions.
Another aim of the low-carbon concept farms is to get different suppliers working together to find solutions on a pre-competitive basis, Mr Prasad said.
“All of these things feel like they have broader application, so the collaboration pre-competitively versus a more restricted mindset … could be another big unlock.”
Asked if Tesco will share its findings with other supermarkets, he said: “Yes, absolutely”.
“The route to net zero isn’t something you are able to achieve on your own.
“It requires everyone to work together and understand what things could be scaled so that we’re all making progress against that target that we have to do as a nation.”
