A new £1.5m sustainability investment programme from the ABP Group has been launched to support 350 of its farmer suppliers, to include 40 in Scotland, and share wider learnings across the UK beef and sheep sectors.

The new programme, Prism 2030, aims to provide farmers with a support framework, initially for the next two-three years, in a bid to assist participants reduce carbon emissions and improve sustainability across the entirety of the farm. It will include assessment of carbon footprint, soil health, water use and support biodiversity creation and resource efficiency.

Dean Holroyd, group technical and sustainability director for ABP, told delegates attending the launch, that British red meat production is amongst the most sustainable in the world, but more has to be done to be part of the climate solution.

“We want to build on this position of strength, and while Prism 2030 will mean direct support for those in our supply base who qualify for the programme, all of the outcomes will be made available to the wider industry.

“In this way, it’s our hope that this initiative will play a part in helping beef and sheep farmers across the country become the global leaders in sustainable meat production – with lower emissions, lower costs and improved productivity.”

Improving animal health and welfare will also be key to the process, as this this can be linked to up to a 10% reduction in emissions, according to the Acting on Methane report launched in April 2022 by Ruminant Health and Welfare.

Chair of Ruminant Health and Welfare and former president of NFUS, Nigel Miller added: “Having a net zero goal means we must all contribute carbon savings and be prepared to change, and this ABP initiative, working with farming partners, has the potential to identify the value of effective health management and be a signpost for the whole industry.

“Focusing herd or flock health programmes on diseases that impact growth rates and/or food conversion efficiency can directly reduce methane emissions; countering conditions that cause involuntary culling, including reproductive failure and lameness, can eliminate a significant carbon cost from breeding systems.”

Other ways of reducing emissions include relying more on slurry or farmyard manure instead of bought in fertilisers; reducing age at slaughter, age at first calving and improved feed efficiency.

The collaboration with Andersons is led by partner and senior research consultant Michael Haverty, who, with his team, will focus on carbon assessments as well as other sustainability benchmarking. Professor Jude Capper leads the input from Harper Adams, and will be indicating what areas each producer could be focusing on over the duration of the project to achieve most gains.

Yorkshire beef and arable farmer, Mike Powley has already signed up to the programme.

“We have been driving efficiency here for 20 years such that we are now self sufficient in feed and are able to sell excess to farmers,” he told delegates.

Mr Powley’s arable sector supplies barley and spring beans for the beef enterprise, which consists of 100 suckler cattle. Over the years, he has made the move away from Norwegian Reds to Angus dams and choosing Charolais progeny over Blues, which he says are easier to flesh and can be slaughtered earlier at 13 months, weighing in at 400kg.

Cattle are grazed outdoors all summer in a rotational grazing system, weaned in the autumn and housed over winter. All feed is grown in house, bar molasses, and red clover is sown into the arable rotation to produce high protein forage and remove the need for bought-in fertiliser.

Commenting on his involvement with the new project he said: “This will be a useful exercise to benchmark ourselves against other UK farmers but also farmers globally, which couldn’t be more timely, with the carbon debate happening at COP27 – we are ahead of the curve and can prove what can be done.

Northern Ireland beef and sheep farmer, Sam Chesney, who runs 120 suckler cattle, near Kircubbin, has also signed up to the programme.

Over the past three years, he 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 Limousins to Stabilisers and Herefords, to reduce concentrate feeds.

A multi-award-winning farmer, Sam who most recently was named Grassland Farm Manager of the year in 2020, is a huge advocate of farming smarter, in tandem with the environment, be that utilising excellent genetics or growing mixed grassland species.

“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.

“The green lands of the UK 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.”