Firm behind UK's largest vertical farm goes bust

The Jones Food Company ran indoor farms in Scunthorpe and Gloucestershire

The company behind the UK's biggest vertical farm has gone into administration and made 61 people redundant.

The Jones Food Company ran indoor farms in Scunthorpe and Gloucestershire but has gone bust after failing to find new investors. Unless a new company takes over the running of its farms, they will close.

A vertical farm can grow salad and herbs three times as fast as traditional outdoor agriculture thanks to special lights and a humid atmosphere.

Grocery firm Ocado was a major shareholder in Jones Food but confirmed it did not want to grow its stake.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Ocado said its "thoughts were with everyone involved with the company".

Jones Food opened its biggest farm, at Lydney in Gloucestershire, just last year.

The farm is the largest of its kind in the UK, measuring 15,000 square metres and the potential to produce 1,000 tons a year.

It was growing basil, coriander, flat-leaf parsley, dill, lettuce, Pak Choi, Mizuna and Japanese spinach - sold under the Leaf brand on Ocado, and the Home Grown brand at Asda.

CEO of Jones Food, James Lloyd Jones, said at the launch of the farm it would be able to produce food at a "super competitive price".

However, other similar companies have also gone into administration during the past few years, with US-based Aerofarms filing for bankruptcy in 2023.

French firm Agricool went into receivership earlier the same year, and Infarm closed its operations in Europe - making 500 staff redundant.

At the time, Infarm blamed high electricity prices in Europe.

BBC News has contacted Jones Food for comment.