Supermarket chain Morrisons has announced a new partnership with the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH), aimed at accelerating the UK farming industry’s journey towards net zero.
The supermarket will trial TIAH’s digital platform, part-funded by the UK government's Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, to address skills gaps and support its farmers in adopting more sustainable practices.
The platform, developed in collaboration with the School of Sustainable Food & Farming at Harper Adams University, offers farmers targeted training modules covering key areas such as calving best practice, disease management, growth optimisation, and forage efficiency.
Morrisons’ collaboration with TIAH builds on its existing commitment to sustainable farming.
The retailer was a founding partner of the School of Sustainable Food & Farming, established in 2022 alongside McDonald's and the NFU.
This initiative has already seen more than 100 farmers participate in in-store events designed to foster knowledge sharing and strengthen the domestic supply chain.
Sophie Throup, technical and sustainability director at Myton Food Group for Morrisons, emphasised the importance of innovation in achieving net-zero goals.
"We’re proud to be the first retailer to partner with TIAH to support our livestock farmers in reducing their environmental impact," said Throup.
"We are looking forward to testing and trialling new practices with 20 of our farmers to help us develop the next phase of our march towards net zero by 2030."
Lord Curry of Food & Farming Futures, who played a role in establishing the School of Sustainable Food & Farming, welcomed the partnership: "I am delighted to see a major retailer partnering with TIAH to support knowledge exchange with our nation’s food producers.
"It is vital our farmers have access to information that supports sustainable food production and I applaud Morrisons for taking this step forward."
Morrisons has set an ambitious target of sourcing 100% of its products from net-zero carbon British farms by 2030.
The partnership with TIAH represents a significant step towards achieving that goal and demonstrates the retailer’s leadership in promoting sustainable agriculture.
