Premier Foods launches trial of low-carbon fertiliser to transform wheat farming

Premier Foods is sowing the seeds of sustainability, quite literally. The company has launched a pilot project across 165 acres of farmland in southern England, trialling a low-carbon fertiliser engineered to cut emissions and waste across its wheat supply chain. What makes this fertiliser unique? It's crafted using renewable energy and designed for slow nutrient release, reducing both the amount applied and the greenhouse gases emitted. Precision farming technology takes this a step further by ensuring the fertiliser is used only where and when it’s needed.

The trial isn’t happening in isolation. It’s a three-way collaboration between Premier Foods, its wheat supplier Bartholomews, and two farmers near the company’s flour mill in Andover—a facility responsible for much of the flour behind household names like Mr Kipling, McDougalls, and Batchelors.

But fertiliser is just the start. The trial incorporates broader regenerative practices as well—enhanced soil and crop management, along with the reincorporation of straw post-harvest. In a show of direct support, Premier Foods is underwriting the transition by funding the farmers to implement these lower-impact methods.

The real test comes after the 2025 harvest when the company will evaluate the results to determine whether these climate-conscious techniques are scalable across a larger portion of its arable supply chain.

Premier Foods’ director of procurement, Gareth Pullan, said: “As well as selling flour under our McDougalls and Be-Ro brands, we use flour in around half of all the products we make, so helping British farmers transition to lower carbon wheat is an essential part of our ambitions to reduce the environmental impact of our business.

“This trial is only the beginning. Our longer-term intention is to take the learnings from this trial to understand how we can support the wider adoption of lower carbon farming across more of the farms growing wheat and other crops across our supply chain.”

The fertiliser trial was revealed in Premier Foods’ annual report for the financial year ending March 2025, released on 3 June. The report tracks progress on its "Enriching Life Plan"—the sustainability blueprint launched in 2021.

Key environmental wins include a 10% year-on-year reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, resulting in a 30% cut since 2020/21. Water stewardship is also on the agenda: the company has pledged to improve operational water efficiency by 5% by 2030, and it’s working with the Westcountry Rivers Trust on a water sustainability project near its Devon-based creamery.

On the social impact front, Premier Foods has also made strides. It donated the equivalent of 1.1 million meals this past year through its ongoing partnership with food redistribution charity FareShare. Employees gave back, too, collectively contributing 783 volunteer days to community causes. The company’s inclusive hiring efforts earned it a Gold Charter Mark from the Social Recruitment Advocacy Group.