Sustainability
Farming for increased sustainability
We are committed to continuous improvement in the sustainability of our farming.
We do this through LEAF – Linking Environment and Farming – whose LEAF Marque we joined in 2006, one of the first arable farms in Scotland to sign up.
The LEAF Marque is the leading scheme in the UK for supporting improved sustainability in farming, with retailers such as Waitrose, M&S, Lidl, Tesco, Aldi and Asda asking their growers to take part.
LEAF involves a whole-farm approach that seeks continuous improvement in nine key areas, including: managing soil and water, conserving energy, protecting crops, enhancing wildlife habitats and reaching out to local communities. An annual audit tracks our progress.
LEAF principles are closely integrated into our farming practice. Here are some of the actions we take.
Community involvement
We supply potatoes direct to local retailers to ensure a connection between locally grown produce and the people who live near our farm. We encourage farm visits from schools and community groups, and our LEAF Marque room was purpose-built to help with this.
Hedgerows and field margins
Currently about 7 per cent of our arable area is set aside for wildlife, more than the minimum requirement of 5 per cent. Field margins, wild flower strips and hedgerows provide habitats and food sources for insects, animals and birds.
We host Chesterhall Honey to reap the benefits from our bees.
Key species
We track four species of birds – yellowhammer, skylark, grey partridge and barn owl.
Partnerships
We work closely with Nature Scot, formerly Scottish National Heritage, who are creating an app for use by all farmers and crafters in Scotland, to improve hedgerows and field margins.
Renewable energy
Although our main way to improve our carbon footprint is through more efficient equipment, we also have two small wind turbines which each produce on average 75,000 KW a year, intended to contribute towards the energy costs of our storage facilities.
Recycling
We are very conscious of recycling and recycle all waste oil, plastic, chemical containers, paper and boxes. We try to minimise what we buy and source as much as we can from local suppliers.
