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Beef & lamb processor ABP has today announced an investment of £1.5 million in a unique sustainability programme which will support 350 of its farmer suppliers and share wider learnings across the UK beef and sheep sectors.
The new programme, called PRISM 2030, will provide farmers with a support framework initially over 2-3 years. Its aim is to help participants to improve their carbon footprint and sustainability across the entirety of the farm. The detailed programme will include assessment of carbon footprint, soil health, water use and support biodiversity creation and resource efficiency.
Support from Harper Adams University and The Andersons Centre will ensure that farmers have direct and ongoing access to the very latest environmental innovations and methodologies. A sustainability grant will also be available, alongside peer-to-peer learning and expert advice throughout. Andersons will focus on carbon assessments as well as other sustainability benchmarking. Professor Jude Capper will lead input from Harper Adams to indicate what areas each producer could be focusing on over the duration of the project to achieve most gains.
George Mullan, Managing Director of ABP in Northern Ireland said; “UK red meat production is already amongst the most sustainable in the world. It’s our hope that this initiative will play a part in helping establish our industry as leaders in sustainable meat production.”
Beef and sheep farmer Sam Chesney runs 120 suckler cattle on a calf to beef system, near Kircubbin, on the Ards Peninsula.
Over the past three years, Sam has changed his grassland ration to incorporate herbal leys and red clover, which has proved a ‘game changer’ In terms of reducing bought in protein. He also changed his breed of cattle from Limousin to Stabiliser and Hereford, to reduce concentrate feeds.
Sam is a multi-award-winning farmer, most recently named Grassland Farm Manager of the year in 2020 and is a huge advocate of farming smarter, in tandem with the environment, be that utilising excellent genetics or growing mixed grassland species.
Explaining his decision to take part in PRISM Chesney said, “We have a duty as farmers to help dispel some of the myths about how beef is produced here in the UK. Farmers are a major part of the solution, as potential carbon mitigators, and the PRISM process will enable us to demonstrate and measure that potential.
“Our green lands are second to none when it comes to supporting high animal welfare, boosting biodiversity and producing low carbon beef, but British beef and lamb is too often broad- brushed with the rest of the world. We are already engaging in carbon audits and although the results are very good, they don’t currently take in to account our grasslands or hedges. We hope through this process we can demonstrate that with all measurements considered we are well on our way to being a net zero operation.”
Sheep farmer Crosby Cleland runs a closed flock of 850 ewes over 160 acres at Brookmount Farm, County Down.
He supplies over 1000 lambs to ABP Linden yearly, which he sells via cooperative Strangford Down Lamb Group, which has 100 farmer members, supplying around 18,000 lambs annually.
Hailing from an area which has been predisposed to summer droughts of late, soil health is a top concern. Over the last three years, he has planted multi-species swards, which cover around 20% of his land and with a high percentage of clover, coupled with dung from his sheep, he has been able to reduce his fertiliser usage to less than a bag of fertiliser per acre.
Cleland is no stranger to soil sampling and its benefits and has been using data to better target lime application on his land to maintain a pH balance of between 6.3 and 6.5 and is always looking at further ways to improve his soil health.
Explaining his reasons for participating in the programme Cleland said, “I’ve found throughout my farming career that to be able to compare with others gives me a drive to make positive changes that will help both financially and in regard to climate.
“Gathering data is extremely important and is a key component of the PRISM project - we all need to know where we are performing well and badly, so we can identify improvements that can be made and drive the industry forward. Only then can we turn the target on farming’s back and send a clear message why exactly UK farming is ahead of the world when it comes to animal welfare, quality assurance and climate mitigation. We are constantly progressing, and this work will capture some of these efforts.”
