Nestlé UK and Ireland has announced a new partnership with The GWCT Allerton Project, a research farm in Leicestershire with an award-winning blueprint for future rural landscapes.
For more than 30 years, The Allerton Project has been at the cutting edge of research into sustainable farming methods, biodiversity and habitat creation alongside a productive farm
The partnership is promising for Nestlé UK and Ireland as it provides an opportunity for farmers and suppliers of Nestlé to receive practical, context-based land management advice to deliver positive environmental outcomes on their land.
In recognition of Nestle’s dependence on agriculture and the need for more understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the sector, The Allerton Project will also provide a mix of immersive, field-based training with classroom-based content to managers and executive-level staff to further embed perspectives on supply chain resilience within Nestlé’s working culture and the integral part it plays in Nestlé’s operations.
A programme of farm visits and technical workshops will also be offered to farmers participating in Nestlé’s agricultural programmes, including Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs). LENs is a trading network that brings together a diverse range of land-dependent businesses with farmers to collectively, and equitably address issues of landscape resilience and performance. It is important to Nestlé that diverse farming networks can learn from one another and introduce practical, regenerative farming practices to help build and restore landscapes.
Allerton’s unique approach to research into sustainable farm and landscape management has made a significant contribution to policymaking, and a long-term history of welcoming senior policy makers to discuss research at Allerton. Its research team collaborate with other research organisations and have successfully co-supervised numerous PhD and MSc projects.
Matt Ryan, Regeneration Lead at Nestlé UK and Ireland, has said: “Our partnership with The Allerton Project represents an important opportunity to move closer to our regenerative ambitions as a business and to build resilience into farming Despite our global reach, unlocking the huge potential of regenerative agriculture lies in local, and context-based actions. This partnership not only promises to provide a platform for training and knowledge exchange amongst famers and suppliers, but also a common space for key decision makers within our organisation to understand the practical realities and barriers to a genuine transition to lower impact, nature-friendly production within our supply chain.”
Alice Midmer, Assistant Manager at The GWCT Allerton Project, has said: “We are really pleased to be working with Nestlé to help them realise their regenerative farming ambitions. It is so encouraging to be working with a big business, with big ideas who are totally committed to delivering it at every level of their supply chain. We are excited to be working with their managers and executive level staff, farmers and suppliers as well as businesses involved and engaged with the LENS programme. We are delighted to be utilising our thirty years of practical, data-led experience in more sustainable farming and land management to help Nestlé and its supply chain deliver for food and the environment. For change to happen, we need to work together and this will be a working example of that - what an opportunity!”
Notes to editors
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is an independent wildlife conservation charity which carries out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 22 post-doctoral scientists and 40 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse.
The GWCT’s Allerton Project: The GWCT’s Allerton Project is an 800 acre commercial farm business attached to a Research and Educational charitable trust. The Project was established in 1992 with the objective of demonstrating how modern efficient farming and environmental conservation can co-exist. The development of the education objectives of the Trust has expanded substantially to several thousand visitors a year including school groups, politicians and farmers, thus necessitating the construction of a larger visitor centre. The challenge of converting a disused brick cowshed into a sustainable building was given to architect Sylvester Cheung from Melton Mowbray. 60 per cent of construction costs were obtained as a grant from the Rural Development Programme for England.