The Thanet Earth glasshouse project has landed the inaugural Green Award at the Food & Farming Industry Awards, held in Westminster.

Technical manager Robert James collected the award at the ceremony at the House of Commons which recognises innovative farmers and growers.

The Green Award recognises the extent of the efforts made so far at Thanet Earth to build the business around a sustainable production method. The project produces tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers and, when it is complete, Thanet Earth will have the electricity generating capacity on site to cover close to the entire domestic power requirement of Thanet - more than 50,000 homes.

The waste products from the electricity generation process are channelled into productive use in the greenhouses to help grow the crops.

Robert James said: “To receive this award is a real honour. We’ve been judged against strict environmental criteria by some key industry figures, and for them to recognise the green principles on which Thanet Earth runs in such a high profile manner is rewarding indeed for all those who work hard every day to make our site the most sustainable, viable site of its kind in the UK. We intend to push our boundaries further and work to continually improve our environmental performance.”

Thanet Earth is a state-of-the-art greenhouse development in Kent. When completed the site will feature seven enormous greenhouses, producing tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. So far, three of the greenhouses have been constructed and are fully operational alongside an on-site packhouse. The crops are sold to the UK’s supermarkets.

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