Tesco has ramped up its investment in environmental data across UK agriculture, committing more than £1.5m to expanding its support for beef and lamb farmers.
The supermarket giant’s new Sustainable Farming Programme will support 360 producers in gathering soil, water and biodiversity data at scale for the first time, as Tesco warns that the UK risks “slow and fragmented” progress without a national framework for farm data reporting.
The move follows new Tesco research showing 68% of farmers want to do more to improve environmental performance, yet 96% cite inconsistent data standards as a key barrier.
A further 73% say they struggle to access innovation, while nine in 10 believe the government should be providing greater support to safeguard the future of British farming.
Delivered with the Soil Association Exchange, the 12-month programme will establish baseline environmental metrics for participating farmers and provide bespoke advice aimed at strengthening long-term resilience, efficiency and sustainability.
It builds on Tesco’s earlier support scheme launched in August, which included £800,000 for dairy farmers to baseline soil and water health.
Tesco UK CEO Ashwin Prasad will outline the initiative at a supplier event today (17 November), stressing the need for coordinated, industry-wide reporting.
Prasad said: “British farmers are the backbone of our food system but they face unprecedented pressure, from rising costs and climate shocks to uncertainty over government policy. Our new programme will give farmers the data and tools to build resilience, but a clear, consistent reporting framework is vital if the whole industry is to measure and scale progress.”
Former NFU president Minette Batters welcomed the call for a unified approach, saying it was “essential” for unlocking opportunities and tracking progress fairly
. Soil Association Exchange CEO Joseph Gridley added the partnership showed how “consistent data, expert advice and targeted funding” could accelerate change across UK farms.
The initiative supports Tesco’s Greenprint for UK Farming recommendations published earlier this year, which argued that standardised data is critical to safeguarding the UK’s long-term food security.
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