Low-Carbon Potato Concepts

Tesco and Branston have introduced the first crop from a low-carbon concept farm in Lincolnshire.

Launched last year to support farmers and suppliers in achieving net-zero targets, the initiative has now produced 500 tonnes of the Georgina potato variety, set to arrive in Tesco stores as part of its premium range.

The crop was grown using circular economy fertilizers that capture CO₂, reduced soil cultivation methods, and the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel, which significantly lowers emissions compared to traditional diesel.

The resulting potatoes maintain expected taste and quality standards while delivering more than a 50% reduction in carbon emissions.

“The ambition of the low carbon concept farm is not only to see how close we can get to a net zero potato, but to understand the interactions between crops as you move from one to the next. We’ve got several crops in rotation, so now we’ve made significant progress with the potatoes, we’re looking at the carbon impact, soil health and biological impact of the process," said Andy Blair, Branston’s field technical manager.

Image Credit: