Georgina potatoes have been grown using a combination of modern techniques
A first-of-its kind low-carbon concept farm in Lincolnshire has successfully grown its first crop of highly sustainable potatoes, which are launching in UK Tesco stores this week.
Established last year in a bid to help farmers and suppliers reach net-zero targets with innovative solutions, the low-carbon concept farm – hosted by Branston – is yielding successful results, according to the company.
Some 500 tonnes of popular variety Georgina are expected in Tesco stores from 23 February in Tesco Finest British All-Rounder and Baking Potato packs.
The potatoes have been grown using a combination of low-carbon growing techniques such as circular economy fertilisers like CCm, which locks in CO2 as part of the process.
Other techniques used include minimum cultivations without impacting yield or quality and transitioning the machinery’s fuel to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which has an up to 90 per cent lower carbon footprint compared to conventional fossil diesel.
The result is the same taste and texture customers expect from traditionally farmed potatoes, Branston pointed out, but with more than 50 per cent lower carbon emissions.
Andy Blair, Branston’s field technical manager who is overseeing the operation at the concept farm, said: “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 we’ve made significant progress with the potatoes, we’re looking at the carbon impact, soil health and biological impact of the process.”
Branston’s team is already looking at the next steps for future crops of Georgina and other varieties, including a focus on cover crops to help with soil structure and retaining nutrition, investing in R-Leaf fertiliser and trialling a biomethane tractor.
“The low-carbon concept farm will act as a test bed to roll out the practices more widely with the plan that all aspects are transferable to other farms and growers across the country,” Blair said. ”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.”
Natalie Smith, head of sustainable agriculture and fisheries at Tesco, said: “The first crop of potatoes grown on our low‑carbon concept farm in Lincolnshire are landing in stores today. Grown in partnership with our supplier Branston, they use low-carbon methods and growing techniques to reduce their environmental impact. Tesco Finest Georgina potatoes are a customer favourite, and we think they taste just as good as the potatoes grown using traditional methods.
“One of the aims of the farm is to test and learn from a variety of low-carbon approaches, which in turn can de-risk the process for other farms in our supply chain and further afield. Increasing funding for innovation in UK agriculture is one of the key recommendations in our Greenprint for UK Farming report, and it’s vital farmers have the ability to invest in new technology and approaches, if we’re to tackle the challenges caused by climate change and nature loss.”
