World’s largest vertical farm being built in the UK
30th September 2021
The Jones Food Company (JFC), owner of Europe’s largest vertical farm near Scunthorpe, has today broken ground on what will become the world’s largest vertical farm.
Credit: Jones Food Company.
The new multi-million-pound vertical farm, being built in Lydney, Gloucestershire, will offer 148,000sq ft of growing space, making it comfortably the world’s largest vertical farm. It will be approximately the same size as almost 70 tennis courts and able to supply 1,000 tonnes plus of fresh produce to thousands of UK supermarkets.
Jones Food Company founder, James Lloyd-Jones, says: “With this new facility we further accelerate Britain’s position as a world-leader when it comes to vertical farming. We already supply thousands of British retail stores with basil grown in our first facility in Lincolnshire but this new site, which is three times bigger, will allow us to supply tens of thousands more stores and to widen our product offer with our partners.
“Our food supply chain is under significant stress, with empty supermarket shelves and shortages of foods increasingly commonplace, vertical farming is undoubtedly a vital part of the UK’s and the world’s farming future,” added Mr Lloyd-Jones.
Credit: Jones Food Company.
“Given what we’re already doing, the world-leading technology we have and the intensely pressing need for more sustainable forms of farming over coming decades we plan to be able to supply 70% of the UK’s fresh produce within the next 10 years.”
The Jones Food Company was founded in 2017, opened its Lincolnshire facility in 2018 and secured backing from The Ocado Group in 2019.
Mr Lloyd-Jones went on to add: “From an environmental perspective, vertical farming allows us to grow in 17 layers, so every acre becomes 17 times more productive. It allows us to grow entirely without pesticides and using 95% less water. And it means we can significantly reduce the air and road miles of the foods we grow.
“But vertical farming doesn’t just make environmental sense, it makes economic sense too. Scale is vital in order to create a cost base that allows us to deliver delicious, healthy herbs, salad leaves, cut flowers, fruit and veg at a price the average shopper also really likes. This second facility further cements our ability to do this.”
Mr Lloyd-Jones concluded: “I accept we’re currently a small part of the UK’s agriculture industry, but this move makes us mainstream, it makes us a really significant player in this country. And you only have to look at Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, across the Middle East and Asia to see this is a global movement, revolutionising the way the world grows produce – vertical farming is the future.
“Building the world’s biggest vertical farm puts the UK at the vanguard of this global movement – we’re leading the world’s vertical farming revolution.”
The new facility, dubbed JFC2, will open in early 2022 and be able to supply supermarkets across the UK.
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