Soil Health Shake-Up: SoilPoint and Cefetra Join Forces to Transform UK Farming

SoilPoint and Cefetra have joined forces to introduce a soil health initiative across the UK.

The programme’s overarching goal is to improve soil quality, beginning this month with the launch of the SoilPoint Soil Booster programme. Under this scheme, up to 36 farmers—selected by the agricultural supply chain manager Cefetra—will replace part of the synthetic fertilisers they currently use with SoilPoint’s Soil Booster.

Soil Booster is a Soil Association-certified soil conditioner designed to help farmers revitalise depleted topsoil, maintain reliable crop yields, and lower greenhouse gas emissions through enhanced soil health. This new initiative follows independent testing of Soil Booster and will run through a complete crop cycle. Throughout the programme, Cefetra and SoilPoint will collaborate directly with farmers to assess how Soil Booster affects yields and crop quality, soil health and nutrient levels, carbon emissions, and the capacity for carbon sequestration.

Cefetra will select participating farmers based on their dedication to embracing regenerative strategies for soil management. The initiative will also play a key role in Cefetra Ecosystem Services, which supports growers in shifting to more sustainable, resilient farming practices.

The programme is the first stage of a long-term commercial arrangement through which Cefetra will include SoilPoint’s Soil Booster as part of its product offerings to farmers in the UK. Soil Booster is a humic-based product that simulates the natural processes of soil formation. By means of a specialised technique, SoilPoint extracts and retains 87 vital minerals, vitamins, anti-toxicants, and fatty acids from lignite rock to create a humus-based soil conditioner, replicating the essential components of healthy topsoil needed for productive agriculture.

According to SoilPoint, international trials—including studies in the UK—indicate that Soil Booster can bolster crop performance for a variety of crops, such as wheat, barley, potatoes, fruits, and vegetables. It can also boost fertiliser effectiveness and plant nutrition, reduce the dependence on synthetic fertilisers and chemicals, increase carbon capture in soil and biomass, and speed up the natural regeneration of topsoil, which is crucial for the long-term viability of farms.

Alan Forrester, CEO of SoilPoint, said: “Our data suggests that, if the UK continues to lose soil at current rates, it may face significant threats to future harvests. SoilPoint Soil Booster offers a natural and proven way to rejuvenate soils, supporting productivity and environmental improvements at the same time.

We are delighted to partner with Cefetra and the first 36 farmers in this initiative. Together, we are showing that better soils and reduced nitrogen use can go hand in hand with maintaining productive and profitable farming, which is essential for the future of UK agriculture.”