And the ministry's Anna Walker director general for rural affairs was part of a group taken on a tour to see what work the grant had accomplished.
The party were shown the projects by Jan Lansen who explained the techniques of the potting, planting and internal/external automated transporting system, which takes pots direct from the potting machines to the standing out ebb and flood growing areas and returns plants ready for marketing directly to the packhouse.
After her visit Walker said: 'It is important the people of Whitehall get out of London into the field, to see for ourselves what is going on in the marketplace.'