Sustainable free range egg production
At The Lakes Free Range Egg Company, our products have strong ethical, environmental and sustainable provenance – something demanded by consumers and our key customers.
“Environmental provenance + enhanced animal welfare = commercially sustainable family farms.”
Our production model is based on leading animal welfare combined with environmental best practice; it also focuses on supporting our rural economy where possible. It is a model that’s replicable and sustainable – even for the 50% of our producers who farm on severely disadvantaged land.
What makes us pioneers in sustainability?
- Most of our producer’s farm within 30 miles of the packing centre – we keep food miles to the minimum.
- Our new state of the art egg packing centre was built by local craftsmen and suppliers, with the latest technologies to minimise our effect on the environment.
- Commitment to recycling, reusing and reducing: 0% to landfill, 50% reduction in water consumption.
- Installation of biomass boilers, ground source heat pumps and solar energy creates renewable energy.
- We have one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry
- Bio-diversity Action Plans that enriches ranges and benefits local wildlife
- Enhanced ranges improve animal welfare and egg production; our hens lay an industry leading 314 eggs/year which helps make our producers more profitable.
- Previously unprofitable farms on severely disadvantaged land are now making a living and families are returning to farming.
- 70% of our turnover remains within our local community
- Many of our factory staff can walk to work!
- Shared learning with customers like: McDonald’s, Sainsbury’s, Booths.
- We work with schools and colleges to promote awareness of local, sustainable farming.
We set the Sustainability benchmark in the industry and the UK:
- McDonald’s use us as a Global Case study for Environmental Sustainability
- Global Green Apple Gold Award for Environmental Improvement
- British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) Awarded us ‘Farm Business of the Year’
- Business In the Community Awarded us 4 National Sustainability Awards:
- National Environmental Leadership
- National Sustainable Supply Chain
- National Rural Action
- National Sustainable Products and Services
