Team Lincolnshire Webinar to Focus on Food

Published: 11th October 2021

Opportunities for businesses in the Greater Lincolnshire food sector will be highlighted at a webinar hosted by ambassador programme Team Lincolnshire and Sitematch 365.

Caroline Drummond MBE, Chief Executive of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), will be the special guest speaker at the webinar on Wednesday 20th October 2021 from 11am to 12 noon, which will showcase food sector opportunities and provide an update on the progress of the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone (FEZ) in Holbeach.

The FEZ now includes an additional 28 acres of land which will form phase two of the scheme. The site is currently being masterplanned to accommodate the rapid growth of agri-tech in the new UK Food Valley, which will be officially launched at the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership Conference on 2nd November.

“This is our second webinar following the event we held in March which generated huge interest in the South Lincolnshire FEZ and the wider opportunities Greater Lincolnshire has to offer in the food sector,” said Karen Seal, Principal Officer for Place and Investment at Lincolnshire County Council.

“The webinar will cover a range of subjects relevant and demonstrate some of the activities being undertaken to support the food sector.”

Already responsible for producing one-eighth of England’s food, Greater Lincolnshire is developing the UK Food Valley programme to position its UK-leading food sector as a top 10 global food cluster.

The UK Food Valley will support growth and encourage inward investment by promoting the scale, breadth and importance of the food sector to the area, and by ensuring that existing food sector companies and new investors are supported.

Businesses developing dynamic new technologies are seeking specialised space as they respond to the challenges presented by Brexit and the climate emergency. A significant number of partners have already been secured for the first phase of the South Lincolnshire FEZ, which comprises 10 fully serviced development sites totalling six acres and launched through Sitematch365 in March 2021.

That illustrates the level of demand within this globally significant cluster of food supply chain and logistics operations, anchored by the University of Lincoln’s new food science campus, the Agri-food Centre of Excellence, which also opened in March. A new hub building for start-up and spin-off agri-tech businesses opens next year.

“The pace of growth and investment within our agri-tech sector is soaring,” said Karen. “Greater Lincolnshire is a world leader in research and development for the food sector and this, combined with our proximity to world markets, our bespoke sites and our premises designed to nurture the industry, makes us as the intelligent choice for food businesses.

“At the heart of this is the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone, which will help secure the growth and success of this sector which is so important for our area.”

Topics to be covered by the webinar include:

progress of the South Lincolnshire Food Enterprise Zone to date
phase two masterplan, a joint venture between South Holland District Council and Lincolnshire County Council at the heart of the UK Food Valley
dynamic new businesses in a race to develop digital systems to overcome labour shortages
low-carbon energy breakthroughs producing power to sustain food supply
a new food logistics centre for innovation and its impact on the sector

Taking part will be Caroline Drummond MBE, Chief Executive of LEAF; Mark Suthern from the UK Food Valley; Tim Downing from Pygott & Crone; and David Shaw, National Design Director at Pick Everard.