Ensuring feed quality, safety and sustainability

Everyone at Dengie is proud of our connection with the land and we are always mindful that we need to grow our crops as sympathetically as possible both for the benefit of our customers and to ensure the future sustainability of what we do. Our farmers are family farmers and they want to ensure there is a viable future for generations to come. They know and understand the importance of sustainable farming – it is why many choose to grow the alfalfa itself as they recognise the benefits this incredible plant offers to the soil, wildlife and wider environment. Dengie Doesn’t Cost the Earth is our commitment to ensure that sustainability remains at the heart of everything we do and our promise that we will always be working hard to improve the ways in which we do things.

Read our Commitment to Best Business Practices

Read our Environmental Commitments Policy

A Commitment to Quality

There are a number of organisations that Dengie are accredited with as part of our commitment to quality:

Feed Assurance Schemes

UFAS and FEMAS are voluntary schemes developed in response to demand for improved feed and food safety. Approval under the schemes provides independent verification that a company is meeting its legal obligations under general feed law. Dengie are approved under both UFAS and FEMAS as we grow and produce our own raw material.

The schemes are based on HACCP principles, an internationally recognized system of hazard analysis pioneered by space agency NASA. Over recent years HACCP has become a central requirement of Food and Feed safety legislation.

BETA NOPS

In 2009 the British Equestrian Trade Association introduced a code of practice relating to naturally and other prohibited substances (NOPS). The aim of the code of practice is to identify those manufacturers who demonstrate due diligence in reducing the risk of contamination with NOPS. Due to the nature of some NOPS it is no longer possible to offer a guarantee that a product is free from them. Those companies that do are unlikely to be fully aware of the potential risks of contamination. Dengie are approved under the NOPS scheme. If you require more information about NOPS then please contact us on 01621 841188 or send us an e-mail.

For further information and advice read our guide on avoiding prohibited substances.

Sustainability

No GM raw materials are used in our feeds and so they are suitable for feeding to horses kept on organic holdings or for those supplying muck to organic holdings. If you require a letter or statement to this effect for the Soil Association inspection please contact us at [email protected] or call 01621 841188.

Dengie have been awarded Green status, the highest possible level, since 2023. The Investors in the Environment annual audit assesses five key areas of an organisations Environmental Management System. These areas include:

• environmental policy
• resource management and monitoring
• progress against targets
• action planning including social/ environmental projects
• communication

Our Pledge to Reduce Plastic Waste

We have a strong ethos in producing sustainable feeds and we continue to look into ways to develop our packaging to ensure it is as environmentally-friendly as possible.

How you can help

Our top tips to help you reduce, reuse and recycle not just at home, but around the yard too.

As individuals how we feed our horses also has an important role to play in doing our bit for climate impact. Whilst as a company, Dengie can work to reduce the carbon footprint of the feeds, in practice any horse’s bucket feed is typically only a small percentage of its diet, with forage being consumed in much larger quantities. Click here to learn about some key things you as horse owners can do to reduce waste.

Ingredients

If we can’t grow an ingredient ourselves then we aim to source it as locally as possible. The chopped grass we use is 100% British grown as is the oat straw. In fact, of the top 5 ingredients we use, only 1 comes from outside the UK. To find out more about how our products are made and where they come from visit our Product Origins page. For more information on the ingredients we use visit the Nutrition Hub.

Charity Partners

Find out more about our charity partners, their great work and why Dengie chooses to support them.