British Sugar's award-winning horticulture business produces between 70 - 80 million 'eco-friendly' tomatoes each year at Cornerways Nursery.

A quarter of a million plants are grown in the UK's largest single tomato glasshouse, which covers an area of 11 hectares. The fruit are harvested between February and November. 
 
All the produce is packed on-site in a modern packhouse, minimising handling and transport and allowing produce to be despatched for supermarket shelves often less than 12 hours after being picked.

Over 5000 bumblebees, living in 100 bee hives, pollinate the crop and are part of the nursery's integrated approach to crop management using natural agents and predators in preference to agro-chemicals.

Cornerways Nursery benefits from its location close to the Wissington sugar factory. More than one hundred and forty miles of piping carries hot water from the factory's combined heat and power (CHP) plant to the glasshouse, to maintain the balmy temperatures which suit tomato plants. This hot water would otherwise be destined for cooling towers, so the scheme ensures that the heat is used productively.

Another benefit is the productive use of waste carbon dioxide  from the sugar factory, which tomatoes use during photosynthesis. At Cornerways, carbon dioxide (a by-product from the CHP boiler) is pumped into the enormous glasshouse to be absorbed by the plants, rather than vented to the atmosphere as waste emissions.

Water used primarily to wash incoming sugar beet carries vital nutrients from Norfolk's soils and is re-used to irrigate the tomato plants.

For more information about British tomatoes go to www.britishtomatoes.co.uk