FARMING WITH CONSCIENCE
Sustainable soya in our animal feed
The carbon impact of animal feed is a major challenge for our industry, we are implementing sustainable ways to help reduce our impact.
In 2023 we switched to 100 per cent full mass balance RTRS (Round Table on Responsible Soy Association) certified soya for our chicken feed, which resulted in a 28 per cent overall reduction in the carbon footprint of our chicken farms.
All of the soya purchased for our pig feed is regional mass balance RTRS certified soya, which reduces the carbon footprint of an outdoor reared pig by 14 per cent. We are working to transition to full mass balance RTRS certification in line with our poultry farms.
We are working with a number of industry coalitions, including the UK Soy Manifesto, to deliver an action plan for the pork sector to ensure all remaining soya is sourced from sustainable sources.
Within our commercial trial sites we continue to look at alternative sources of protein to remove as much soya from animal diets as possible. So far trialling sunflower meal and field beans which yielded promising results.