Fischer Farms has announced the completion of what it claims is the “world’s biggest” vertical farm.
The farm, which was constructed by Clegg Food Projects, is located in Norfolk and covers 25,000 sq m.
It is a state-of-the-art climate-controlled facility utilising an energy-efficient LED-based lighting system to produce crops on four acres of land, yielding 240 tonnes more leafy greens than conventional farming, the brand claimed.
“After months of hard work by the team, it’s fantastic to see our new farm in production,” said Tristan Fischer, CEO of Fischer Farms. “The state-of-the-art facility has been completed to the highest spec, and is at the cutting edge of vertical farming technology, enabling us to provide customers with the very best, sustainably grown fresh produce.”
Clegg Food Projects was appointed as the principal contractor for the £25m project and oversaw the design and build, as well as the building services.
The team also oversaw the process suppliers, requiring careful project management and an open forum approach as the installation took place during construction.
“Vertical farming is transforming the agriculture industry, and this facility proves it is a viable solution for supplying fresh produce in a controlled growing environment all year round,” said Oliver Jenkins, business development manager at Clegg Food Projects. “With growing concerns over climate change as well as land and labour shortages, innovative solutions such as this are very welcome.”
He added that as the project was so technology-focused the team had to be flexible and adjust the design to cater for the specialist process equipment.
Fischer Farms is also working towards operating 365 days a year using only sustainable energy sources.
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