Recommendation 31

Controlled environment agriculture has the potential to provide a fresh year-round supply of foods that are usually imported and to minimise the environmental impact of the production of such foods, so long as it can use renewable energy wherever possible. We welcome the Government’s plans to review the planning permission process to support new developments of vertical farms, but are disappointed that the Government’s decision not to bring forward a horticulture strategy means that there will be no strategy for controlled environment horticulture. The Government should explore ways to grow the controlled environment agriculture sector in an environmentally responsible way, such as through its Land Use Framework and its Environmental Land Management schemes, as well as through the business rates regime.