Purina is increasing its support for UK farmers adopting regenerative agriculture practices as extreme weather continues to put pressure on crop yields and food supply chains.

The pet care giant is backing 110 wheat farmers across 8,000 hectares of UK farmland through the Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) programme, providing funding, technical expertise and practical support.

Measures being trialled include cover crops, crop rotation, reduced soil disturbance, improved nutrient management and tree and hedgerow planting.

It’s been a difficult 2026 growing season, with hot and dry conditions putting pressure on cereal crops.

Bedfordshire wheat farmer Claire Donkin, who is supported through the programme, said her wheat yield is around 30 per cent below normal levels following this summer’s weather.

New Purina research found 87 per cent of UK farmers are now more open to changing farming practices to improve soil health and resilience to extreme weather than they were five years ago.

The business said the initiative is particularly relevant to its own supply chain as cereals and vegetable proteins form part of many of its pet food recipes.

Purina UK corporate affairs and sustainability director Claire Robinson-Davies said: “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 also supported the planting of more than 12,000 trees.

Across Europe, more than 630 farmers and 37,000 hectares are involved in Purina-backed regenerative agriculture programmes.

By the end of 2025, 29 per cent of cereals and vegetable proteins used in Purina pet food across Europe came from farmers adopting regenerative practices, with the company targeting 50 per cent by 2030.

Separate research among 2,000 UK adults found 52 per cent are concerned that this year’s weather could push up grocery prices, while 39 per cent are worried about British farmers’ ability to produce enough food and agricultural ingredients over the next five years.

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