Moy Park, Sainsbury’s, and the Woodland Trust have come together to deliver a biodiversity project at Moy Park’s Beech Farm in Lincolnshire. The collaboration between the organisations created a natural woodland by planting a mix of 500 native broadleaf trees at the farm to support natural habitat opportunities and resources for wildlife.
Moy Park and Sainsbury’s have been working in partnership for many years, delivering huge milestones in animal welfare. In March 2023, in partnership with Moy Park and Sainsbury’s Chicken Farmer Group, the retailer was the first of its scale to reduce maximum bird stocking density to 30kg/m2, providing its birds with 20% more space than the industry standard. Other nature-positive initiatives on farm includes the use of Agrisound, which will give unique insights into the local pollinator population and allow Sainsbury’s to quantify the positive impact our actions are having on biodiversity.
Beech Farm is the first of its kind in the UK, which reduces Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 100%. The farm has been constructed with overall sustainability at the forefront and has been designed to reduce energy related greenhouse gas emissions by 100% when all systems are operating at capacity. The natural woodland created by the partnership will further increase the nature-positive footprint of the farm.
Speaking about the partnership, Hugo Hanna, Research and Development Officer, Moy Park said; “Biodiversity plays a key part in our sustainability strategy as we strive to reach net-zero by 2040. Woodland areas are vital for providing shelter for wildlife, food and forage for birds and help nurture healthy habitats. We are thankful to Sainsbury’s and the Woodland Trust for their support to deliver this impactful biodiversity project at one of our flagship farms which has been built from the ground up with sustainability in mind.”
Henry Blain, Head of Livestock, Sainsbury’s added; “Nature-positive agriculture is extremely important to Sainsbury’s and our customers. It’s great to be part of a project establishing agroforestry on poultry farms in partnership with Moy Park and the Woodland Trust. It’s a step towards nature positive farming and climate resilient sourcing.”
Paul Woodgate, Outreach Adviser, Woodland Trust said; “As an organisation we are focused on planting native trees and woods with the aim of creating resilient landscapes for people and wildlife. As it matures, the new woodland at Beech Farm will help deliver on these objectives and protect and promote the biodiversity of the area.”
