The size of 96 tennis courts vertical farm is being built in UK

Added on 14 June 2022

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The size of 96 tennis courts vertical farm is being built in UK

The world's largest vertical farm is being built to help end the UK's reliance on imported foods. British retailers already get almost a third of their fresh basil from the team at Jones Food Company (JFC). It is grown, alongside other leafy greens, at Europe's largest vertical farm in Lincolnshire, England.

But now they are experimenting with growing soft fruits, flowers, vegetables and even vines on a commercial scale. A state of the art innovation centre has just opened near the city of Bristol where researchers are working to make these ideas a reality in the next 10 years.

"We already know we can grow products other than leafy greens, from mushrooms to blackberries to tulips, but our task through this new facility is to push the speed of growth to work on a commercial scale," says Glynn Stephens, head of growing at JFC.

The company wants to eliminate the need to import these products. In 2020, nearly half of all food consumed in the UK was brought in from overseas, according to the government.

And a recent report from real estate services company Savills found that 69 per cent of these imports come from countries with lower environmental scores than the UK such as South Africa and Turkey. For fruits, vegetables and cereals that proportion increases to 77 per cent.