SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS
At Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil we believe in sustainability. But why does this matter so much? Well, for us we want to ensure we have everything in place to meet the demands we have today, without compromising the demands that future generations will have. We want to play our part, to be good stewards of our land, and pass on the benefits to the wider environment.
With regards to our agriculture, this means we look closely at soil, land, water and seek to fix any problems there may be. But there’s many ways that as a food producer that we implement good practices. Here’s just a few of the ways that we look at this area here…
Our soil
Rapeseed requires minimal soil disturbance, which helps to preserve soil health and reduce soil erosion, both key factors in regenerative farming practices which we are starting to adopt here. The crop itself has a deep root system, which also helps improve soil health by breaking up compacted soil and bringing up nutrients from deeper soil layers.
Our land
We use a crop rotation system here on the farm. Rapeseed can be rotated with other crops, such as wheat or barley, to help break disease and pest cycles, improve the soil health, and reduce the risk of monoculture, which can be widely used in intensive farming.
We also plant wildflowers and hedgerows on the field boundaries to reduce soil erosion and flooding by slowing the flow of water, so it soaks into the ground more easily. The margins also provide key habitats and resources for wildlife, support populations of pest predators and provide a home for pollinators.
Our water
Our Rapeseed crop requires less water than many other oilseed crops, such as soybeans or sunflowers, which makes it a more water-efficient crop, especially in areas where water is scarce.
Our production
Cold pressing our Rapeseed Oil uses a gentler process than some other vegetable oils, as the pressing of our seed doesn’t require us to use heat or chemicals. We also have an array of solar panels on the farm, located discreetly on our farm buildings.
Rapeseed Oil is biodegradable and can be composted, reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills. Any waste product we have goes to a local anaerobic digester plant. The waste product from our cold pressing of the seed (rape-meal) is used as a high fat / high protein animal feed.
Our rapeseed is grown by us or local farmers in Yorkshire, which reduces transportation and supports local economies.
As farmers and food producers we have a big part to play, but there’s ways we can all be environmentally friendly and aware of ways to reduce energy use. All contributing to a healthier and greener place for us all to live.