Polythene tunnels are used on Withers Farm. This has proved contentious across the UK and Herefordshire but we have tried to limit the impact to local residents by careful siting and screening of tunnels and by agreeing not to use particular fields.

The benefits of tunnels for the farm are:

• Help produce earlier & later crops by increasing air temperatures
• Protect the crop from bad weather so less wastage, less disease and reduction in pesticide use
• Allows picking on wet days and so fulfilling the supermarkets orders 7 days a week

All polythene is recycled at the end of its life and experiments with green polythene have been carried out.

Planning permission was granted by Herefordshire Council in February 2008. A system of zones has been used to spread the tunnel over out site as shown on planning map.

Click Here to view the planning permission application map.

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