New group aims to unlock potential of UK greenhouse sector

A new group of researchers, growers and manufacturers is aiming to improve food production in the UK by unlocking the potential of greenhouses.

The Greenhouse Innovation Consortium (GIC) was launched to address critical challenges facing the UK greenhouse industry. It is spearheaded by Dr Sven Batke, a reader in Plant Science at Edge Hill University in Lancashire.

The collaboration – with Pilkington UK (a member of NSG Group), Philipps, FlavourFresh, CambridgeHOK and GlassFutures – wants to accelerate innovation and propel the industry forward by fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Batke, who is the GIC founder and chairperson, said: “The UK greenhouse industry possesses immense potential to play a leading role in sustainable food production. However, navigating complex challenges requires collective action and innovative solutions.

“The GIC brings together the collective expertise and resources of leading players across the industry to create a collaborative ecosystem that fosters innovation and drives positive change.

“In the UK, we are still heavily reliant on food imports from abroad. For example, 80 per cent of fruit and over half of vegetables are being imported. This reliance has made the UK very vulnerable.”

The consortium aims to:

• Utilise, develop and test cutting-edge technologies to enhance crop quality, yield and resilience.
• Help growers improve resource use and develop more sustainable practices.
• Provide scientific evidence on new materials and practices that can help businesses to derisk.
• Provide training and networking opportunities to enable knowledge transfer and innovation.
• Support growers to become more competitive and resilient to fluctuating markets.
• Build capacity in the greenhouse manufacturing sector by leading grower-informed product development.

Dr Anna Colley from Pilkington UK said: “We recently launched Pilkington Botanical, a dedicated greenhouses glass range, designed to help growers optimise the light growing environment in their greenhouses.

“By partnering up with GIC members, we can run more commercially realistic trials and develop more customer-focused products.”

The UK greenhouse sector is relatively small compared to other countries in Europe.

Noel O’Leary from CambridgeHOK said: “The UK industry has always been at the forefront of innovation. While dwarfed by the Netherlands, and the associated efficiencies this drives, innovation such as this helps to level the playing field. It’s great to see the UK once again driving global innovations.”

The GIC estimates that 70 per cent of greenhouses in the UK are over 40 years old, and the sector has received limited investment.

“As a business, it has been challenging in the past few years,” said David Barker from FlavourFresh. “Spiking energy prices and Brexit, as well as skilled staff shortages, have made businesses like ours vulnerable. We joined the GIC as we believe that only through innovation can we build capacity and resilience.”

The GIC has developed several strategies to work on joint ventures over the coming years, including the recent testing of new glass coating technologies designed at Edge Hill University’s Ormskirk campus.

Batke said: “It’s an exciting and important time for the UK greenhouse industry, and we are excited to support local businesses and train the next generation of plant scientists that can positively affect the industry.”