Waitrose is claiming to be the first retailer in the UK to use renewable natural gas extracted from cow manure to power tractors at its farm.
The move is part of the retailer’s drive to reach net zero across its own operations by 2035.
Manure produced by the 500 cattle kept at its Leckford Estate farm in Hampshire is harvested and upgraded on site in a covered lagoon, producing biomethane. This not only provides a sustainable fuel for machinery, but will also help the retailer reduce its carbon footprint by up to 1,300 tonnes per year.
James Bailey, Executive Director of Waitrose, said: “Two years ago, we challenged ourselves to use Leckford as an experiment in farming best practices to pave the way for genuine solutions to help conserve our soil, air and water for the future generations, and our biomethane lagoon does just that. An innovative example to help our farm and hopefully other farms, reach net zero.”
