OneFarm set to launch “UK’s largest” vertical farm in Suffolk

Sustainable food producer OneFarm has unveiled approved plans to open the “UK’s largest” vertical farm in Newmarket, Suffolk.

The 6,400-square-metre farm will feature nine-metre-high growth towers and will be capable of growing up to 415 tonnes of food per year. A second phase has been proposed to increase the growing area to 13,000-square-metres, which will increase capacity by over 1,000 tonnes of crops each year.

The farm will be constructed in collaboration with indoor agritech specialist, IGS Limited, and is funded by both public and private investors.

The vertical farm will grow a range of herbs and salads on-demand to avoid unnecessary waste, with agreements already in place to supply selected retailers under its brand, Wholly Food.

Mira Merme, CEO of OneFarm, said: “Consumers deserve locally grown, fresh, good quality food, grown without pesticides and with low water usage and OneFarm’s in-house brand, Wholly Food, provides just that, every day of the year. It’s truly local food for local people.”

She continued: “With the IGS technology we will deliver those commitments to our customers and consumers alike. Its levels of flexibility to grow a wider variety of produce is superior to all other competitors and we believe that its dedication to product innovation will bring even greater benefits to our farms as we expand in the future. We are excited to be at the forefront of this fast-emerging sector, which we strongly believe will play an important role in the future of food production.”

The farm is expected to be fully operational by early 2023.