Food Animal Initiative
Through its commitment to the development of sustainable agriculture the Food Animal Initiative (FAI) is committed to developing food production systems that deliver better animal welfare, improved farmland environments and higher quality food whilst allowing the farmer to maintain a margin.
With FAI being set up to explore opportunities and needs for animal welfare and environmental sustainability for farming systems it was necessary to establish extensive networks of collaborations. The Initiative now interacts with a wide range of organisations within the areas of farming, animal welfare, academic research and the food industry to get the necessary breadth for ‘real’ knowledge for how practical improvements can be made.
Significant progress has been made through scientific investigation undertaken in commercial farm environments in partnership with Oxford University Zoology Department, both on the farm at Oxford and through wider studies within a broader industry context.
Tesco has been a core supporter from the beginning, encouraging the work and facilitating the incorporation of recommendations into their own supply chain. The FAI works with industry groups and individuals who are willing to look at their practices with open eyes and who want to commit to a process of positive change.
The Farm
FAI gained an operational footing by taking over the tenancy of the Oxford University Farm at Wytham in September 2001 with a team of experienced and visionary animal and food industry professionals. The core team has expertise from traditional farming, veterinary services and the meat processing industry and the project started from their realisation that something more could be done to address problems in some intensive farming systems.
The farm itself is bordered by the famous Wytham Woods and the River Thames and covers an area of around 425 hectares. Of this just over 100 hectares is arable land which has now completed organic conversion and will produce feed for the animals on the farm. The remainder is extensive grassland managed under the Upper Thames Tributaries Environmentally Sensitive Area and Countryside Stewardship Schemes.
The farm is home to 10,000 free range table birds, 4,200 free range laying hens, a 900 ewe sheep flock, a 110 cow suckler herd, a dairy beef finishing unit, 3,500 turkeys for the Christmas market and a developmental pig unit.
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