Regenerative wheat gets key co-funding as Royal Canin and Roquette back 60+ French farms

Mars-owned pet food maker Royal Canin and its ingredients supplier Roquette will co-invest in regenerative wheat on more than 60 farms covering over 4,700 hectares in France, through a partnership with agronomy and carbon data firm Soil Capital, AgFunderNews reported on October 29.

Roquette supplies Royal Canin with wheat. Under the model, both companies share the upfront cost of moving the farms that grow it to regenerative practices, which can include new equipment, cover crops and changes to crop rotations. Farmers would otherwise pay those costs themselves or join a single-company program.

Results such as carbon sequestered will generate Soil Capital Credits, and farmers will receive 70% of them, according to the companies.

Soil Capital will collect and verify farm data so both buyers can work from one dataset. Royal Canin uses economic allocation to calculate carbon footprints, common in pet food, while Roquette uses mass balance allocation, the starch industry standard. A shared, independently verified dataset is meant to prevent double counting. TÜV Rheinland audits the farm data annually under ISO 14064-2.

“By sharing both the costs and the value created across the supply chain, this approach helps reduce the financial burden on farmers,” said Magali Amouroux, sustainability manager at Roquette.

Luc Beerens, global director for sustainable sourcing at Royal Canin, said the partnership also prepares both firms for EU rules such as the Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming certification framework. Both companies are exploring the model with other buyers. For input suppliers, such programs can shift on-farm demand toward cover crop seed and nutrient-dense, soil-focused practices.

Source: AgFunderNews