MORRISONS is trialling a ‘British farm bus tour’ with the 1st tour taking place this week, hosted by Cumbrian farmer Paul Coates who has been supplying beef to Morrisons for over 10 years. 

The trips will offer customers a unique behind-the-scenes perspective of working farms and the chance to meet the makers of their food. Passengers on the Morrisons Farm Bus Tours will have the chance to see the day-to-day operations of farms and learn more about sustainable agricultural practices.

Morrisons is British farming’s biggest customer – supporting, growing and championing more farmers than any other supermarket, working directly with 2,500 farmers and growers all year round. 

The 1st trip is touring the 420-acre Barrock End mixed cattle, sheep and crops farm which is on top of Barrack Fell in the North Pennines. Paul and his father Peter run the farm at Armathwaite, near Carlisle, where Morrisons has helped the family build their herd of 250 Beef Shorthorn cattle - a foraging, hardy and feed-efficient pedigree known for exceptional eating quality. The Coates family farm also produces lamb from over 1,000 grazing sheep and arable crops which complement each other to aid self-sufficiency.

Sophie Throup, Technical and Sustainability Director at Myton Food Group for Morrisons, said:- "The Morrisons Farm Bus Tours will set off from stores to take the mystery out of where and how Morrisons food is produced. We’re proud of our amazing farmers and want to show our customers the care that goes into producing the high-quality, fresh produce, dairy, and meat products that stock the shelves of Morrisons stores across the country. We are looking forward to hearing the feedback from our first bus trippers.”

Rosie Fielder, Customer that attended the first Bus Farm Trip in Penrith, added:- “Getting to see where Morrisons produce comes from as well as the different animals and how they are kept was a great learning experience. It was clear to see that the cattle have a good, happy life, and I would recommend more customers to visit their local farms to get a better understanding of the  journey of food from farm to plate. It’s a great family day out!”

The 1st Morrisons Farm Bus Tour coincides with British Food Fortnight which takes place between 20 September and 6 October 2024.  Morrisons is the exclusive retail partner and is supporting the event in all its supermarkets and online with a celebration of the best of autumn's British produce, meat and fish on its Market Street with great value prices and in store marketing displays. 

Morrisons has pledged to become the first supermarket to be completely supplied by ‘zero emission’ British farms by 2030 – 5 years ahead of the industry and is working directly with its farmers to create affordable zero emission produce. It was the first supermarket to introduce its own carbon neutral egg and has partnered the NFU, Harper Adams University, and McDonald’s UK to launch the 1st UK School of Sustainable Food and Farming aiming to embed new sustainable farming methods. Its partnership with The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) and DEFRA also supports its farmers on the journey to net zero and helps address the skills gaps in agriculture.