Leaf Marque

Nonington Farms has been a LEAF Demonstration Farm since 2020, which means that we are good enough to showcase the work that we do to other farms and farmers up and down the country. There are fewer than 40 farms across the country with this accolade, and we are the only LEAF Demonstration Farm in the south-east. Our farm is underpinned by the principles of integrated farm management, which is what being part of LEAF is all about.

Nonington is also a LEAF Marque certified business, and has been since 2012. The LEAF Marque is an environmental assurance scheme, showing that food has been grown sustainably and with care for the environment. It is a highly regarded, international standard, and one increasingly demanded by food producers who want to be certain that they are providing more environmentally responsible products. Only 2% of grain produced in this country is LEAF Marque certified at the moment.

To become a LEAF Marque farm, we have to go through a rigorous audit and assessment process annually, demonstrating that we meet the high standards LEAF set each year. These include our policies on energy, water, the environment and health and safety; a review of our landscape and conservation plan, how we engage with the public and our staff, as well as a forensic look at our farming systems on both a practical/operational and a paperwork level.

Examples of our work include having a 6m wild flower margin around all residential properties that border our fields, laying hedges, planting trees annually, putting non-productive land in to uses such as bumblebee plots, wildflower meadows and providing habitat for birds throughout the year. From carrying out the annual audit we have been able to track our carbon footprint journey to being a carbon neutral farm.

Nonington Farms also conforms to the standards of the Red Tractor Farm Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops, which reassures end users that our crops were grown sustainably, are traceable, safe to eat, and have been produced responsibly in the UK.

We are also a member of Produced in Kent (PinK), and our flour is therefore proud to carry the PinK logo on it’s packaging, showing that it has all been produced locally (on the farm) in Kent.