THERE HAS been a sea change in the direction of Britain’s biggest farming company, writes Ewan Pate, farming editor.

Co-operative Farms has 30,000 hectares of arable land under its direct management, with a third of it in Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and the Borders.

The company also now owns a potato packhouse in Carnoustie and another near Birmingham.

These new acquisitions give a clue to the new policy of supplying produce grown on the farms to retail customers of Co-operative stores.

Christine Tacon, general manager of the farms division, was in Dundee this week hosting a conference for 150 staff members and advisers.

“We have changed our name from Farmcare,” she said.

“Our new name fits in with a move to see branding of our produce including potatoes, strawberries, onions, packet flour, cider, frozen peas and oats.

“Some 50% of our turnover is now through our own stores and we will be adding broccoli and pumpkins to the list soon.

“Customers trust Co-operative stores and like the known provenance.

“It gives the group a massive point of difference over its competitors.”

This is something of a return to the roots of the co-operative movement in 1896.

Then, the rationale of owning and operating farms was to provide safe fresh produce to the cities.

Milk production featured strongly and until 2000 the group owned 6000 dairy animals.

Selling off the cows was a controversial move and one of the first decisions made under Mrs Tacon’s stewardship, but she is sure it was a correct one.

“We were losing so much money at the time that it was seriously affecting our bottom line,” she said.

“We sold the quota for £5 million.

“Remember, it would have had no value now.

“We could go back to dairying but I am relieved that we are out of it at the moment.

“Cross compliance with 6000 animals would be difficult and we are facing massive nitrate vulnerable zone restrictions.”

“What we are doing now is expanding our turnover but doing it more intelligently.

“We also have to do it right in environmental terms.

“We survey the four million members of the Co-op and they generally take a strong view against GM, but I know the world has to double production by 2050 and the question is how to do that.”

Ever aware of rising costs Mrs Tacon sees the scale of Co-operative Farms as being important.

Machinery sharing between farms is part of the policy and managers are encouraged to think seriously about all inputs.

“All fields are analysed for nutrients using the SOYL system and we have nitrogen sensors fitted to some of our tractors in the Borders,” she said. “We will use more nitrogen if it means an economic increase in yields.

“The amount of fuel used by tractors has become more important and although we have not done it before we will now be comparing the fuel consumption of different makes.

“Minimum tillage is important in keeping costs down but last year it was so wet we had to revert to the plough in many cases.”

As part of a move to explain the whole food chain Co-operative farms have instigated a “farm to fork” project which will give schoolchildren half a day on the farm and half a day cooking the produce.

“Our community fund pays for it and with three farms already participating and four coming on stream we hope to host 5000 children over the year.

“I regard the group as sponsors of food and I want to see people take a different attitude to what they eat,” said Mrs Tacon.