Tesco has extended its environmental baselining programme to beef and lamb farmers, partnering with the Soil Association Exchange to help 360 Sustainable Farming Group members collect soil, water and nature data through November 2026. Tesco’s research of UK farmers found 91% want more government support, 96% flagged inconsistent reporting as a major barrier and 73% struggle to access innovation. The retailer says the initiative builds on an August 2025 incentives package that gave over £800,000 to dairy farmers, bringing total baselining support above £1.5m, and is urging a national, standardised farm data framework to ease reporting and scale progress.
Tesco expands environmental baselining to beef and lamb farmers and urges UK-wide farm data framework
Tesco has extended its environmental baselining programme to beef and lamb farmers, partnering with the Soil Association Exchange to help 360 Sustainable Farming Group members collect soil, water and nature data through November 2026. Tesco’s research of UK farmers found 91% want more government support, 96% flagged inconsistent reporting as a major barrier and 73% struggle to access innovation. The retailer says the initiative builds on an August 2025 incentives package that gave over £800,000 to dairy farmers, bringing total baselining support above £1.5m, and is urging a national, standardised farm data framework to ease reporting and scale progress.
07:41 PM, 11/18/2025Environment
Tesco expands farm data baselining and calls for national farm data framework
Tesco has extended its environmental data baselining programme to include British beef and lamb farmers and is calling on the UK government to adopt a national framework to standardise farm data collection. Delivered in partnership with the Soil Association Exchange, the scheme will support 360 farmers in Tesco’s Sustainable Farming Groups to gather soil, water and nature metrics through to November 2026.
The supermarket said the programme delivers baseline measurements alongside tailored advice designed to strengthen farm resilience and improve operational efficiency. The rollout follows Tesco-commissioned research involving hundreds of UK farmers that found a strong desire for more government support and clearer data standards.
Key findings from Tesco-commissioned research
- 91% of farmers want greater government support to build resilience.
- 96% said inconsistent environmental standards and reporting requirements are a major barrier to progress.
- 73% reported difficulties accessing on-farm innovation.
- 64% identified soil health as a concern.
- 89% of UK consumers said the government should do more to support domestic farmers.
The programme builds on Tesco’s incentives scheme launched in August 2025, which provided more than £800,000 ($1.5m) to dairy farmers for soil and water health assessments. With this latest expansion, Tesco’s total funding for environmental baselining now exceeds £1.5m.
Ashwin Prasad, Tesco UK CEO: “British farmers are the backbone of our food system but they face unprecedented pressure, from rising costs and climate shocks to uncertainty over government policy. Our new programme will give farmers the data and tools to build resilience.”
“It’s vital farmers have a clear and consistent reporting framework to reduce the burden they face and make it easier for the whole industry to measure and scale progress.”
The initiative echoes recommendations from Tesco’s Greenprint for UK Farming Report, presented at the Oxford Farming Conference 2025, which called for standardised data and insights to help farmers boost resilience and reduce environmental impacts.
Company performance
In October 2025, Tesco raised its profit guidance after reporting increased sales across all markets in the first half (H1) of fiscal 2025/26. Group adjusted operating profit for the UK supermarket was £1.67bn ($2.24bn) in H1 25/26, up 1.6% at constant exchange rates from £1.65bn the previous year. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were 15.43 pence for the 26 weeks to 23 August 2025, compared with 14.45 pence a year earlier.
Original reporting by Retail Insight Network (a GlobalData-owned brand). This content is provided for general informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional advice.