Demonstrating sustainability

Earlier this year, the Jersey Royal Company was officially launched as the Island’s first LEAF Demonstration Farm. By Cathy Le Feuvre

After a ‘virtual’ launch back in May 2020, which was held online thanks to Covid pandemic restrictions, in May this year an ‘in-person’ event was finally held at the company’s headquarters at Peacock Farm in Trinity, to celebrate and recognise the organisation’s commitment as a centre of excellence for sustainable farming, high environmental standards and climate positive agricultural and horticultural practices.

LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) is the leading global organisation delivering more sustainable food and farming. Among other things, the LEAF Network includes Demonstration Farms - working farms that are committed to delivering and promoting sustainable farming. The Jersey Royal Company was the first local farm to become a LEAF member in 1997 and it achieved LEAF Marque certification in 2005 - the LEAF Marque is a farm assurance system, showing that food has been grown sustainably with care for the environment. In 2019, when all the local dairy and arable farmers became LEAF Marque certified, Jersey became the first LEAF Marque island in the world.

This May, members of the local farming and wider community gathered at Peacock Farm to celebrate the LEAF status, and to learn more about how the Jersey Royal Company are committed to existing and future sustainable farming practices. Some of the guests also enjoyed a conducted tour of fields of tea plants – the Jersey Royal Company family includes Jersey Fine Tea – followed by a visit to potato fields and the Jersey Royal packing house to learn more about the sustainable systems which form part of the company’s ethos and processes.

The LEAF Network also includes Innovation Centres, which are research establishments that are pioneering and developing new approaches to something called Integrated Farm Management (IFM), which is central to the LEAF ethos. IFM is a multifaceted nature-based approach to farming that uses the best of modern technology along with traditional practices, to ensure that all aspects of the business are balanced for maximum sustainability. This incorporates everything from organisation and planning, soil management and fertility, crop health and protection, pollution control and the management of farming by-products, energy efficiency, water management, landscape and nature conservation and animal husbandry.

It also includes the willingness to engage with the community in which the LEAF farmers live and work. The Jersey Royal Company is the first LEAF Demonstration Farm outside of mainland UK and it joins 38 others from every farming sector whose mission is to promote the sustainable farming principles of IFM to other farmers as well as to industry organisations, politicians and community groups. This includes education and hosting very successful annual Open Farm Sundays, which are usually held in June.

This year LEAF celebrates its 30th anniversary and Vicky Robinson, LEAF Director Technical, who was visiting Jersey in that capacity for the first time, officially welcomed the Jersey Royal Company to the LEAF Network and explained that the Demonstration Farms have been central to what the organisation stands for – ‘innovation, practical and farmer led’. Mike Renouard, Business Unit Director at The Jersey Royal Company, told the gathering that they were committed to Integrated Farm Management across the business.

‘We continually look to develop, improve, and streamline practices to be more efficient, but crucially, more sustainable. We are delighted to have been recognised by LEAF for our approach to advancing more climate positive farming and we greatly look forward to the role we can play as a both a Demonstration Farm and LEAF Marque certified business, in sharing our vision and inspiring other farmers,’ Mike said. The May 2022 launch was attended by the then Lieutenant-Governor of Jersey, Air Chief Marshal, Sir Stephen Dalton GCB, who later planted a tree to mark the occasion, and supported by Agrii, Jersey Water, Farm Jersey, Jersey Farmers Union, Rubis and David Dumosch, as well as agricultural and horticultural merchants.

“We are delighted to have been recognised by

LEAF for our approach to advancing more climate positive farming and we greatly look forward to the role we can play as a both a Demonstration Farm and LEAF Marque certified business, in sharing our vision and inspiring other farmers

More information about LEAF can be found at www.leaf.eco and visit www.jerseyroyal.co.uk for more about the Jersey Royal Company