Iceland threat to green scheme
25 January 2001
Iceland threat to green scheme
By Donald MacPhail
A MULTI-MILLION pound boost to a scheme encouraging greener farming methods could be threatened by a slump in a supermarkets sales.
The Iceland frozen food chain pledged 1 million to the National Trusts “whole farming planning” programme in the summer.
But this week new Iceland chief executive Bill Grimsey announced a 1.5% fall in sales in the past six months after a bold switch to organic produce failed.
The store said it was reducing its commitment to organics and was unable to confirm whether it would still back the National Trust scheme.
A spokesman said: “We havent announced any change, but we have a completely new team in and this will come under review.”
Under the initiative, the trusts 2000 tenants are encouraged to adopt environmentally-friendly farming practices and maximise economic potential.
Icelands support, over three years, could lever as much as 5m-7m through European, Government or lottery grants.
A spokesman for the National Trust said as far as the charity was aware Iceland was still giving the money.
The chain has put itself to the fore of the food-safety debate, banning GM material in own-brand items, switching to organics and dropping egg colouring.
But much of the impetus for this came from founder and chairman Malcolm Walker, who has recently become less involved in the chains day-to-day running.
Recently, he sold most of his holdings in the company.
It is also unclear whether former Greenpeace executive director Lord Melchett will now take up his role of environmental advisor with Iceland.
The National Trust owns 248,000ha (612,000 acres) of land in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It has 700 farmstead tenants and 1300 land tenants.