Sainsbury's cash-back incentive promotes lower carbon milk, beef and lamb production

A scheme for Sainsbury’s milk, beef and lamb suppliers offering a cash-back incentive to use top-rated grass varieties that will improve their production efficiency has been extended as the supermarket continues its focus on reducing carbon footprints.

Launched in the spring of 2012 and initially due to run until May this year, the collaboration between Sainsbury’s, AB Sustain and British Seed Houses that provides a 10% cash-back refund on selected Aber® High Sugar Grass mixtures is now available exclusively to the Sainsbury’s Development Group network through to December 2013.

“This scheme is designed to help milk, beef and lamb suppliers improve their production efficiencies by achieving improved intakes and higher performance from their acreages,” explains Bob Beavan of AB Sustain. “In addition to the discount on these top-rated mixtures, we have been running grassland management workshops to help producers improve herd or flock performance.

“We’re extending the offer as there is continuing demand, having already seen over 900 acres of these high performance mixtures sown as part of the scheme. In addition to the six Aber High Sugar Grass mixtures offered previously, we are also adding the new AberXtend extended grazing mixture at the same 10% discount.

“The Aber High Sugar Grass varieties stand out on the official Recommended Lists for their yield and quality and are proven to improve meat and milk production. There is research to show dairy herds grazing Aber HSG grasses can produce up to 6% more milk per cow over the grazing season, with a 3% improvement in diet digestibility.

“Similar data is available on beef and lambs, with higher daily liveweight gains, higher stock carrying capacities and animals reaching slaughter weights more quickly.

“In addition, there is new evidence emerging on the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from livestock fed these high sugar grasses. We are responding to the information available and advising farmers accordingly.”

Sainsbury’s Development Group members can take advantage of this offer by purchasing any of seven designated mixtures from their regular seed suppliers and then providing proof of purchase and their AB Sustain / Sainsbury’s producer details to British Seed Houses. The scheme will now run in its current form to December 2013.