Jess Brown-Fuller visits Tangmere grower producing a third of the UK's peppers

MP for Chichester, Jess Brown-Fuller, has visited Tangmere Airfield Nurseries, the UK's largest dedicated producer of peppers. Jess met with the site's Chief Operating Officer, as well as a representative from the West Sussex Growers Association and discussed the challenges facing the horticulture industry, including issues with local infrastructure and uncertainty surrounding future plans for seasonal workers.

During the visit, Jess toured some of the greenhouses and the packhouse, seeing first-hand the innovations being adopted across the site, including automated packaging processes and hydroponic growing.

Afterwards, Jess said:

Tangmere Airfield Nurseries is a nationally important grower doing incredible work and embracing innovation to stay competitive. Seeing the scale and innovation on display there was eye-opening.

They produce a third of all the peppers sold on UK supermarket shelves, yet many of the issues we discussed were those I hear from other small and large agriculture and horticulture businesses across the constituency.

One of my first summer jobs was in a packhouse, packing herbs for supermarkets in Runcton, so I had a quick go on the conveyor belt packing some of the peppers. I don't think I'd have got the job!