Fresh Produce and Glasshouse Cluster
South Lincolnshire is the centre of the UK fresh produce sector, both in production and for the trade in fruit, vegetables, salads and ornamental crops.
Horticultural and potato crops use 6% of the farm area in Greater Lincolnshire. However, due to the more intensive nature of production this produces 32% of the area’s agricultural output. The LEP has 26% of the vegetables and 19% of the ornamental crop nationally, worth £600m in 2020.
The UK Food Valley is seeing a growth in investment in glasshouses and controlled environment agriculture. The UK’s largest vertical farm is Jones Food Company in Scunthorpe. With 85 hectares of glasshouses in 2016, the area is seeing major new investments including: Bridge Farm in Spalding; Dyson Farming in Boston; Globalberry at Nocton, and has a further 45 hectares currently in the planning process, meaning the glasshouse area will double by 2025.