Pork producer Stockcroft Pigs has joined sustainable farming organisation LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) as a corporate member.
The company is looking to implement LEAF’s Integrated Farm Management (IFM) sustainable farming principles across its 50 contracted farms based in the South, West of England and Wales.
IFM is a whole-farm business approach that delivers sustainable farming. It uses the best of modern technology and traditional methods to deliver prosperous farming that enriches the environment and engages local communities. It covers energy and resource use, soil and water management and creating natural habitats for the benefit of wildlife, flora and fauna.
Stockcroft rears outdoor-bred, straw-based pigs and supplies pork to Tulip, which is then sold through major retailers.
“Becoming a member of LEAF will provide our farmers with the tools and expertise to help ensure the farms are being run with maximum care for the environment” Sally Stockings from Stockcroft Pigs said. “Each of our 50 farms are different and the IFM approach can be adapted to suit each individual site, which is important to us.
“As a growing company, we’re also interested in encouraging like-minded farmers to join our ventures and our membership of LEAF will help us to do this. We’re looking for farmers who have land available to rear the pigs outside or barns to straw base fatten them.”
LEAF’s commercial director, Jeremy Boxall, said he was delighted to welcome Stockcroft Pigs to LEAF.
“As a corporate member, they’ll now benefit from the many services LEAF offers to help farmers to farm more sustainably, be that through increased resource efficiency, improving soil and water quality and implementing measures to improve biodiversity,” he added.