Substantial progress has been made in delivering more sustainable farming in the UK, with some crops virtually all grown to LEAF Marque standards.
Linking Environment And Farming (LEAF) latest Global Impacts Report has revealed progress being made in delivering more sustainable farming through LEAF Marque certification, which is an environmental assurance system.
In the UK, LEAF Marque’s prominence in the fresh produce sector grew, with 36% of UK fruit and vegetables now grown by LEAF Marque certified businesses, up from 25% just three years ago.
For some produce, virtually all UK crop was LEAF Marque certified including leeks (95%), asparagus (91%), beetroot (88%) and lettuce (87%).
Many crops were grown to LEAF Marque standards for the first time, including bilberry, curry leaves, pulses, macadamia and sunflowers.
Significant growth was also made in the livestock sector, with an increase of more than 3,500 sheep and cattle reared on LEAF Marque certified businesses compared with last year, and more than 15,000 ha of permanent or temporary grassland grown.
The report also highlights the diversity of the assurance system, revealing that 162 different crop types and livestock classes are produced by LEAF Marque certified businesses.
In total, there are 1,032 LEAF Marque certified businesses, operating in 34 countries across the globe from Chile to New Zealand.
Over the past 12 months, the area of crop produced by these businesses has grown by more 19,000 ha (an area larger than the city of Glasgow) to a total of 386,500 ha, with the UK accounting for 81% - 314,500 ha - of this. Fifty-one percent of the crop was cereal, with 43% horticulture.
The top five crops grown were wheat (98,200 ha), barley (34,500 ha), potato (32,600 ha), oilseed rape (27,300 ha) and lettuce (11,200 ha).
