Purina is expanding its support for UK farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture methods as extreme weather cuts into wheat yields and tightens food supply chains. The company is now backing 110 wheat farmers across 8,000 hectares through the Environment Enterprise Networks (LENs) programme, offering funding, technical guidance, and hands-on assistance. This initiative was announced on 23rd September 2026, reflecting the growing urgency as climate pressures intensify.
The initiative focuses on techniques like cover crops, crop rotation, reduced soil disturbance, better nutrient management, and planting trees or hedgerows. This year’s growing season has been particularly harsh, with dry and hot conditions slashing cereal crop output. Bedfordshire farmer Claire Donkin, who participates in the programme, reported her wheat yield is down 30 percent from normal levels after this summer’s drought.
New research from Purina shows 87 percent of UK farmers are now more open to changing practices to improve soil health and resilience than they were five years ago. The company’s push aligns with its own supply chain needs, as cereals and vegetable proteins are key ingredients in many of its pet food products.
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Claire Robinson-Davies, director of corporate affairs and sustainability for Purina UK, emphasized the long-term focus: “This is not about promising an instant answer to difficult weather. Claire Donkin’s experience shows both the scale of the challenge and why testing new approaches now to build future resilience is so important.”
The UK programme has already supported the planting of over 12,000 trees as part of these efforts. Across Europe, 630 farmers and 37,000 hectares are involved in similar Purina-backed regenerative agriculture projects, demonstrating the company’s broader strategy to integrate sustainability into its supply chain. By the end of 2025, 29 percent of the cereals and vegetable proteins used in Purina pet food in Europe came from regenerative sources, with the company aiming for 50 percent by 2030.
Beyond farming, consumer concerns are rising. A separate survey of 2,000 UK adults found 52 percent fear this year’s weather will drive up grocery prices, while 39 percent worry about Britain’s ability to produce enough food and agricultural ingredients over the next five years.
