McCain Foods is launching a new Farm of the Future UK in North Yorkshire, close to its GB headquarters, to trial regenerative agriculture at commercial scale.
In partnership with the University of Leeds, the 202-hectare farm is the company’s third research and innovation site and marks a major milestone in its push for future focused farming. It joins farms already established in Canada and South Africa.
As British farmers wrestle with unpredictable weather, declining soil health and policy uncertainty, the UK farm is designed to test regenerative practices in real world conditions.
The UK farm will test practical methods such as controlled traffic farming, year-round soil cover and biodiversity building. It will also pilot a circular nutrient system – using pig manure to enrich soils, cut waste and show how mixed systems can improve soil health and biodiversity.
Insights will feed directly into McCain’s network of 4,400 farmers to support wider adoption of regenerative practices. Potato production begins at the site later this year.
The announcement coincides with the publication of McCain’s 2025 Global Sustainability Report, which highlights that nearly 70% of McCain’s global acreage has been onboarded onto its Regenerative Agriculture Framework and 44% is ‘Engaged’. Other highlights include:
- 30 Innovation Farms for regenerative agriculture have been established globally;
- 28% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions since 2017;
- 4,488 vulnerable farmers and families supported in 2025, bringing the total supported since 2018 to 18,459.
