Heineken UK has launched “one of the UK’s largest regenerative malting barley programmes”, to accelerate the adoption of regenerative farming practices across its UK supply chain.
Partnering with Muntons, Boortmalt, Cefetra and Soil Capital, the initiative will see a direct premium payment to farmers on regenerative barley yields, designed to reduce the financial risk of changing farming practices and make the transition commercially viable.
Sonia Thimmiah, corporate affairs director of Heineken UK said: “British malting barley is at the heart of some of the UK’s best-loved beers, so making it more resilient for the future matters. This programme is about working with partners to make regenerative agriculture practical, scalable and commercially viable by strengthening soils and helping farms stay fit for the future. It is also an important contribution to Heineken’s global ‘Brew a Better World’ strategy and aims to protect water and nature as well as reduce carbon emissions.”
The brewer said the combination of financial incentives and the scale of the programme distinguishes it from existing regenerative malting barley initiatives in the UK.
The programme is expected to see almost half of the malted barley sourced by Heineken UK grown using regenerative agriculture practices by 2027.
The first regenerative barley harvest is due in 2026, with beer brewed from the crop reaching consumers the following year.
The regenerative barley will be used across Heineken UK’s portfolio, including Heineken, Cruzcampo, Birra Moretti, John Smith’s, Foster’s and Amstel.
The initiative will operate across key barley-growing regions in England and Scotland, including East Anglia, the East Midlands, the South East, the South West, Fife and the Scottish Borders.
Farmers will receive agronomic support alongside multi-year commitments intended to provide greater certainty while encouraging the uptake of practices such as reduced soil disturbance, cover cropping and more diverse crop rotations.
Regenerative approaches will be tailored to individual farms based on existing practices and local conditions.
