Simpsons Malt has completed SAI Platform’s Farm Sustainability Assessment (FSA) third-party verification process, achieving gold performance level across its entire UK malting barley procurement.
Audited grower Jim Macfarlane, of Thornhill Farming Partnership, in Foulden, with Simpsons Malt sustainability manager Ben Gothorp
A total of 678 growers — all directly contracted through agricultural merchanting division McCreath Simpson & Prentice — now form a single farm management group (FMG) for malting barley, following an audit of the group in late 2025.
This means that all of Simpsons Malt’s directly-contracted malting barley and distilling wheat purchases are now verified at gold performance level.
For farmers within the group, which spans from the Highlands of Scotland down to the south of England, achieving FSA Gold verification independently confirms they are operating to first-class sustainability standards across a wide range of environmental, social and economic criteria. This includes soil and nutrient management, crop protection, biodiversity, community impact, and employee welfare.
It also demonstrates engagement with a Simpsons Malt-led continuous improvement plan, while showing compliance with a trusted, globally recognised framework that assesses the whole farm business rather than individual crops.
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For Simpsons Malt’s distilling and brewing customers, the verification provides confidence that malting barley processed at both its malting sites — Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, and Tivetshall St Margaret, Norfolk — has clear assurance and supply chain traceability. It is also helping to support these customers towards meeting their own sustainable sourcing objectives.
“Achieving 100% FSA Gold performance level across our UK malting barley procurement is a huge achievement, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment and hard work of all our contracted growers,” said Ben Gothorp, sustainability manager at Simpsons Malt.
One of the growers, Jim Macfarlane, of Thornhill Farming Partnership, added: “Audits are an important aspect of modern-day agriculture and I like FSA as it looks at the whole farm business and recognises the practical steps farmers are taking to improve sustainability, while maintaining productivity.
“Being selected for audit has been a positive experience as it has helped me stay on top of my game, and I’m grateful for the support of the Simpsons Malt sustainability team, who were available to answer any questions that I had throughout the process.”
