Tesco has called for the wider adoption of low-carbon fertilisers across UK agriculture, warning that promising innovation must move beyond small-scale trials if British farmers are to become more resilient to future supply shocks.
The supermarket says low-carbon fertilisers could play a significant role in strengthening UK food security, reducing emissions and giving farmers greater protection from volatile global fertiliser markets.
Tesco UK chief executive Ashwin Prasad used London Tech Week to highlight the importance of farm innovation, arguing that technologies which can cut emissions and improve resilience must be given a clearer route from pilot projects into everyday use on farms.
The call comes at a time when fertiliser supply chains remain under pressure. Conventional fertiliser production is closely linked to global energy markets, leaving farmers exposed to price swings and disruption. Tesco says low-carbon alternatives could offer a more price-stable, domestically produced option for British agriculture.
Prasad said Tesco wanted to support British farmers in rolling out innovation, adding that it could help increase economic growth, build resilience and improve efficiency on farm. However, he warned that too many promising technologies still struggle to move from trial stage into normal commercial use.
“Low-carbon fertilisers are a clear example,” he said. “They have real potential to reduce environmental impact, strengthen the resilience of UK food production, and keep a reliable supply of British products on our shelves.”
He said scaling the technology would require greater availability, clearer pricing and the long-term confidence farmers need to plan their use properly.
Tesco has already tested the approach through its Low Carbon Concept Farm in Lincolnshire. Working with potato supplier Branston, the retailer says trials using low-carbon fertilisers alongside other low-carbon growing techniques delivered a 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions from potato production, without affecting yield or quality.
Around 500 tonnes of potatoes grown through the trial were later sold in Tesco stores, providing a practical example of how lower-carbon production methods can move from the field to the supermarket shelf.
For the wider agritech sector, the message is clear: the problem is no longer simply whether these technologies work, but how quickly they can be scaled. Farmers continue to face barriers including limited supply, uncertain pricing and difficulty accessing funding for on-farm trials. Without greater support, many innovations risk remaining trapped in the demonstration phase.
To help address this, Tesco has relaunched its Agri-tech Challenge, seeking start-ups and innovators with practical technologies that can improve farm sustainability, productivity and resilience. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to work with Tesco and its supplier partners, including through trials on supplier farms, as well as receiving a one-year membership of Agri-TechE.
Applications are open until 3 July.
Tesco says the programme forms part of its wider work with British farmers through its Sustainable Farming Groups across sectors including milk, cheese, potatoes, beef, pork and lamb.
The development underlines a growing shift in the role of retailers within agricultural innovation. As climate pressures, geopolitical disruption and input cost volatility place greater strain on producers, the food supply chain is increasingly looking for technologies that can deliver both environmental gains and commercial stability.
Low-carbon fertilisers are still an emerging part of that transition, but Tesco’s message is that they cannot remain niche for long. If they are to help protect British farmers, reduce emissions and strengthen domestic food production, the next step must be scale.
For UK agriculture, that could make fertiliser innovation one of the most important frontiers in the drive towards a lower-carbon and more secure food system.
