BASF, Boortmalt and SAI Platform collaborate for sustainable barley production

Modern food production is about reducing its impact on the environment while maintaining productivity. This holds true not only for farming but also for every player in the food value chain up to the retailer. That is why Boortmalt, the world’s leading barley malt provider for the brewing and distilling industries working with more than 800 barley growers in Ireland, is implementing BASF’s sustainability assessment tool AgBalance^®. 

A new collaboration between BASF and the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform (SAI Platform) will also make it easier and faster for the farmers to achieve independent verification for the sustainability of their crop production. 

“Our customers in the beverage value chain are demanding more proof that we supply malted barley that is produced sustainably,” said Max Potterton, barley agronomist at Boortmalt in Ireland. “That is why we want to measure and drive sustainability in crop production. One of our sustainability goals is to source 100% sustainable barley in Europe by 2030.”

“AgBalance is an easy-to-use digital tool that allows farmers to take a holistic view of their farm operations based on a broad set of sustainability criteria. Farmers can assess not just the carbon footprint or water usage, but also other important parameters, such as yield, soil health, biodiversity and social aspects,” said Julia Harnal, Head of Global Sustainability and Governmental Relations at BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division. “We are excited to be working with Boortmalt and SAI Platform. This partnership between food value chain and industry will help find the right balance between environmental protection, farm productivity and societal acceptance.”

AgBalance uses data from the farm’s current operation. It compares the data with a benchmark of other farms in the region and shows where farmers can improve their operations towards a reduced environmental footprint and at the same time the efficiency and productivity on the farm. With the integration of SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) module into AgBalance, the tool will help Irish barley growers supplying Boortmalt to verify the sustainability contributions of their farm operations more quickly and easily.

“The Farm Sustainability Assessment module in AgBalance enables farmers to see instantly which level of FSA performance they are reaching. It will help them to achieve an even better understanding of how to manage sustainability on their farms,” said Joe Rushton, FSA Program Manager at SAI Platform.