Tilapia - FAI Farms
Pioneering tilapia welfare event and online course launched by FAI
July 21, 2021
Using science to shape strategy
Using science to shape strategy
April 20, 2021

Sustainable Operations at FAI

By Carly Scott
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Food production takes up half of the planet's habitable land surface and 40% of the world's oceans are heavily impacted by human activities, such as overfishing. In the face of the twin challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change that present existential threats to human society, farmers, fishers, and food companies are under increasing pressure to respond by creating sustainable operating practices. We believe food production can and must be part of the solution.

Our purpose at FAI is to offer practical direction and solutions for a better food system. We work with global food companies to improve animal health and welfare, regenerate our essential ecosystems, and develop greater resilience on our farms and in our communities.

Working towards a better food system requires a growth in mindset that encompasses ecological and biological systems as part of our world view. This shift in perspective empowers us to make informed decisions and proactive steps that shape the farms, fisheries and food businesses that form our food system.

This mind-set is also applied to our approach at FAI to understand how our company operations can contribute to an equitable, biodiverse and welfare positive economy. Before advising our clients on sustainable food systems, it is incumbent on us to embed sustainable practices and policies in our day-to-day work.

The following examples demonstrate just some of the actions we have implemented in our business that have the potential for greatest impact, including:

Regenerative land management:

We are farming regeneratively at our 1500-acre site in Oxford, UK, demonstrating positive ecological and animal welfare impacts and enabling us to deliver informed, practice-based leadership in regenerative farming approaches.

100% renewable energy use at FAI Oxford:

Our Wytham site uses 100% renewable energy to power our farm and office buildings, using a renewable energy provider in combination with a biomass boiler and solar panels supplying green energy back in to the grid. Due to our regenerative farming approach, we use over 40km of electric fencing around the farm to divide pasture in to grazing cells, which are powered by solar energisers.

100% renewable data hosting:

Our data platforms form an integral tool to deliver meaningful insights, measurable impact, and informed management throughout the supply chain. In an age of information abundance, FAI uses the filter of science and practice to ensure we only store data that brings meaning, rather than data for data’s sake. Our data hosting services utilise 100% renewable energy, ensuring that the ecological impact of the data we use is minimised.

Pensions with intention:

Since becoming our own business entity in 2020, we have switched to a stewardship pension that selects its investment profiles against a higher criterion of ESG credentials to ensure the large sums of investment that flows into pensions (£2.6 trillion annually in the UK) are contributing to driving better practices across our economy.
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