Food giant Mars will rely on renewable energy from a wind farm near Inverness to power its 12 UK plants.

The firm, which produces brands including Mars, Extra, Uncle Ben's, Pedigree and Whiskas, has agreed a ten-year partnership with Eneco UK to receive electricity from a new 20-turbine wind farm in Moy.

The 60-megawatt wind farm will generate the equivalent of 100% of the electricity required to power all 12 Mars UK sites, the company said.

It has manufactured in the UK for 84 years, with three million Mars bars produced each day at its plant in Slough.

The company, Mars Incorporated, aims to be fully carbon-neutral by 2040.

The Eneco agreement follows a similar arrangement with a large-scale wind farm in Texas, which generates the equivalent of 100% of the electricity required to power the company's US operations.

Barry Parkin, chief sustainability officer for Mars Incorporated, said: "Moy will contribute significantly to our effort to eliminate fossil fuel energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from our global operations by 2040 as part of our Sustainable in a Generation programme."

The power generated at Moy is equivalent to that used by 34,000 average UK households and enough to make the number of Maltesers needed to fill 166 Olympic-size swimming pools each year, according to Mars.

Zoisa Walton, Eneco UK country director, said the project would deliver "real benefits" to the community in Moy and the surrounding area.

WWF Scotland director Lang Banks said: "With its huge renewable energy resources, Scotland is an ideal location to source the power needed to create products sustainably. This is a great example of how business can help the UK meet its climate change targets."