Europe’s most expansive vertical farm has opened its doors, promising to produce up to 20 million bags of salads and herbs each year by stacking rows of plants in a carefully controlled indoor environment.
This cutting-edge approach, known as controlled environment agriculture, has prompted excitement among those who see it as the next frontier in sustainable food production.
“Why would you continue to have fields if you can grow in here?” asks James Lloyd-Jones, the CEO of Jones Food Company, which operates the 150,000-square-foot site. “We use 95% less water than a typical farm, zero pesticides, and we’re not reliant on the weather.”
Within this sprawling facility, greenery flourishes under rows of bright LED lights that deliver precisely the right spectrum for photosynthesis. Water and nutrients are administered through a specialised system, while the inside temperature and humidity are tightly regulated. According to Mr Lloyd-Jones, “If you can get your electricity from solar or wind, then you’re producing fresh, local produce with a minimal carbon footprint.”
During a recent visit, Sky News observed how leaves, grown without the need for pesticides or herbicides, are harvested and packaged without washing—an advantage attributed to the sterile conditions maintained at the farm. Critics noted the high electricity demand for lighting and climate control, yet proponents argued that renewable sources can offset these concerns.
Tristan Fischer, a serial entrepreneur who has spent much of his career working on renewable energy in its various guises and the head of Fischer Farms explains: “We’re on this downward cost curve on LEDs. And then when you think about other main inputs, energy – renewable energy – is constantly coming down as well.
“So you think about all the big drivers of vertical farming, they’re going down, whereas compared to full-grown crops, everything’s going up – the fertilisers, rents and water are becoming more expensive too.”
“Our long-term goal is that we can get a lot cheaper,” adds Fischer. “If you look at Farm 1, we spent about £2.5m on lights in 2018. Fast forward to Farm 2; it’s seven and a half times bigger and in those three years the lights were effectively half the price. We’re also probably using 60 to 70 percent less power.”
Jones Food Company’s facility aims to deliver a steady supply of fresh produce regardless of season or weather, raising the possibility that vertical farming could become a staple of UK agriculture.
Whether this technology can match the scale and economics of conventional methods remains to be seen—but for some, it represents the most promising vision yet of how Britain might feed itself in the future.
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