After 10 years of supporting wheat growers in the UK, pladis, which makes Jacob’s, McVitie’s and Carr’s biscuits and snacks, is now working with Frontier Agriculture to expand itsBack to Farm  wheat programme, supporting growers to move to more regenerative and sustainable farming practices.

The scheme is an addition to pladis’ current programme and, in its first year, will see over 4,000 hectares of land being farmed using sustainable practices, producing 36,000 tonnes of grain. This is equivalent to the entire UK production of McVitie’s Original Digestives – over 50 million packets of biscuits – with the long-term aim to eventually cover enough wheat for all of the McVitie’s range.

With technical expertise from Frontier’s sustainable crop production team, the growers will receive support to adopt more practices focused on soil health, biodiversity and nutrient management. The choice of actions within the programme is purposefully broad enough to ensure growers can adapt their crop production programmes in line with the natural conditions of their own farming environment, ensuring they have the flexibility to do what is best for their business and overall land management goals.

Jennifer Parise, director of procurement and sustainability for pladis UK&I comments, "Building a sustainable future is a shared responsibility for us all. We know growers are looking at regenerative farming, but it's a big ask for them to transition without additional support, especially given ongoing reductions in subsidies for farmers.

Jennifer Parise, director of procurement and sustainability for pladis UK&I comments, “Building a sustainable future is a shared responsibility for us all. We know growers are looking at regenerative farming, but it’s a big ask for them to transition without additional support, especially given ongoing reductions in subsidies for farmers.

"By expanding our successfulBack to Farm  programme we hope that we’ll be able to continue building partnerships with growers, to better understand and help them address the challenges they face, as we all seek to make food production more sustainable.”

"By expanding our successful Back to Farm programme we hope that we'll be able to continue building partnerships with growers."

The move by pladis has been welcomed by growers. Will Waterer who grows wheat on his family farm in Essex, comments, “We’ve been looking at sustainable farming methods for a while, as many farmers have. This programme gives us the confidence to expand our activity and the flexibility to experiment more on farm with more regenerative farming practices. Without these types of support from companies like pladis I think many farmers will struggle as the volatility in weather continues to impact harvests.”

At Frontier, the value of schemes like that from pladis is seen as an important opportunity to connect the supply chain, rewarding growers for the good work they are doing and helping all parties to meet their sustainability targets while ensuring long-term, quality food production.

"We've been looking at sustainable farming methods for a while, as many farmers have. This programme gives us the confidence to expand our activity."

With increasing uncertainty around public funding, alternative routes for support such as pladis’Back to Farm  programme are becoming increasingly important.

Jim Knightbraid, sustainability manager for Frontier comments, "Helping farmers to produce crops profitably, whilst also taking care to manage their soils and the wider farmed environment, is the key to building long-term, sustainable supply chains.

“We're delighted to be working with pladis and McVitie's to expand theirBack to Farm  programme, working with our network of UK growers to implement more sustainable and regenerative farming practices. Through this programme we can track, evidence and report on the positive environmental outcomes of farm practices, whilst rewarding farmers for their role in bringing those outcomes about.”
"For the farmers we work with, it’s also about de-risking crop production, improving the resilience of their farming systems to safeguard productivity and profitability."
Private sector schemes have a fundamental part to play in the longevity of sustainable food production and Frontier’s unique position in the arable supply chain means it can support farmers to make the most of privately funded schemes such as that from pladis. Jim continues: “For the farmers we work with, it’s also about de-risking crop production, improving the resilience of their farming systems to safeguard productivity and profitability. All of that is vital if we are to secure the future of farming and sustainable food production. Support from businesses like pladis to help achieve this is hugely welcomed.” 

Exploring support for farmers to move into more regenerative wheat farming practices is just one of the ways pladis is looking at more sustainable and responsible sourcing across its global snacking business. These measures reduce, capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide in the soil, supporting pladis’ carbon reduction commitment of reaching Net Zero by 2050.

Alongside this, McVitie’s commitment to British wheat isn’t new. All its UK Digestives are made with British wheat, a decision that was taken as far back as 1839. Today, that legacy continues with a renewed focus on sustainability and soil health. As well as supporting farmers, the longer-term impact will also help McVitie’s reduce its carbon footprint.