Your Environment...
We take our social and environmental responsibilities very seriously, both as farmers and as a business.
We recognise that as a company we need to mitigate our impact on the environment around us. A number of initiatives are either in place or planned to ensure that this is the case:
Laying units are naturally ventilated which reduces the levels of energy used. We are also part of the Climate Change Levy scheme. We are currently participating in a pilot scheme to monitor peaks and troughs in electricity usage on a half hourly basis. This will help to identify areas for improvement.
We operate a fleet of delivery vehicles, all of which are tracked and monitored. This allows us to plan deliveries to ensure that food miles are as low as possible. Rearing and production is also sourced close by (mostly within a 10 mile radius) to reduce transportation and emissions.
In our newest units we have installed a manure-drying system which reduces ammonia emissions. The manure itself is spread on arable land reducing the need for inorganic fertilisers
In preparation for a new flock, sheds are cleaned and disinfected. Using a dry cleaning system has eliminated the use of water and thus reduces the risk of polluting water courses.
All packaging is from recycled materials. Finished product packaging is of pulp type with recycled cardboard cases. The finished pallet is then automatically shrink-wrapped by a machine designed to reduce the amount of wrap used.
Any eggs rejected on the grounds of shell quality etc are sent for further processing and are used in the food industry.
We are part of the Farm Woodland scheme and have planted over 25 acres of woodlands and hedges in the areas surrounding our main business premises.
As part of a very recent expansion we plan to undertake the erection of three windmills for the production of renewable energy and are looking into the possibility of further installations at other sites.
Farmlay subscribes to the Rural Stewardship Scheme which is an Agri-environment scheme designed to encourage farmers to adopt environmentally friendly practices and to maintain and enhance wildlife habitats and natural landscape features. We have created a wildlife pond to enhance the environment and encourage wildlife, plant unharvested crops to feed birdlife, maintain spray buffer zones to avoid contamination of water courses and introduced beetle banks to reduce the need to use insecticides for aphid control.