Ingram Valley, a farming region in Northumberland’s Cheviot Hills, has achieved Planet Mark certification. This is Ingram Valley Farm’s third year of business carbon footprint reporting and certification to Planet Mark.

Over the next year, the farming company will be working towards reducing its carbon emissions and sharing its journey with its community to inspire others. By being more strategic about its environmental responsibility, the company will be able to significantly increase its positive impact and hope to encourage continual improvements within its community.

Through Planet Mark, Ingram Valley has protected an area of endangered rainforest thanks to Cool Earth; a charity working alongside rainforest communities to halt deforestation. Its pledge through Cool Earth goes directly towards supporting the Asháninka community in Central Peru.

It has also helped the Eden Project – an educational charity building connections with each other and the living world, exploring how we can work together towards a better future.

Ingram Valley was formed volcanically over 480 million years ago and has been farmed for thousands of years for its rich soils, fresh air and clean water. From heritage preservation to environmental projects, they offer ethical produce that has stood the test of time. 

Ingram Valley truly believes sustainable farming is the only option. Alongside certification to The Planet Mark, Ingram Valley works with the Northumberland LEADER uplands team and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development in efforts to help return the native red deer to the area. The valley also works within the UN Sustainability Development Goals framework to guide its projects, working towards responsible consumption and production, climate action and protecting biodiversity and wildlife conservation. 

Farming is on the front line of the battle against climate change. First, agriculture is responsible for approximately 9% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, and second, farming is particularly vulnerable to changes in temperature, rainfall, soil properties and the increase in extreme weather. Increasingly consumers are wary of the carbon footprint of the food they consume, so measuring and reducing the carbon of farming operations is an important step in a world increasingly concerned with the effects of climate change.

Striving to be a force for good, Ingram Valley Farm contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through various projects including working with Planet Mark member Fooditude to help get food to those most in need during the Covid-19 pandemic. Since joining Planet Mark, Ingram Valley have also worked with Newcastle University to develop an organic oat milk project and have held sustainability days with Bidfood and Newcastle University.

The farm’s website runs off 100% renewable energy through Erjjio Studios, and the business has also reduced its paper usage and has switched to Cool Earth paper when necessary. Ingram Valley has also now replaced its business fleet of diesel vehicles with a fleet of electric vehicles.

Ingram Valley aims to inspire other businesses by communicating its own impact on social media, through the press and an impact report housed on the company’s website.

Ingram Valley Farm has further contributed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by creating a formal Equality, Diversity, and Inclusive Policy.

The farm is committed to continuous improvement and has attended Planet Mark webinars in addition to using toolkits and resources to help reduce its carbon footprint even further.