MORRISONS has employed a team of ‘Tree Advisors’ who will give specialist advice to UK farmers on the best species of trees to plant, where to plant them and how to manage their woodland - to have the best environmental effect without impacting upon their farm business.
The Tree Advisors will work with the Bradford-based supermarket chain’s network of 3,000 farmers to plant the right tree species, to gain government and grant funding to cover their costs, and to bring in additional income from their woodland projects.
The scheme, in partnership with Natural England and the Forestry Commission, forms part of Morrisons plan to become directly supplied by net zero British farms by 2030 and net zero for emissions by 2040.
Farmers at Morrisons 50 net zero blueprint farms will be the first to be offered access to the scheme.
Sophie Throup, head of agriculture at Morrisons, said: “As British farming’s biggest customer, we have a responsibility to help our farmers overcome the challenges of working more sustainably.
“Many farmers, while recognising the value of trees in their landscape, are worried that tree planting initiatives will mean that valuable land is taken from food production - even when funded by the government.”
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