Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what work they are supporting on the development of artificial horticulture for the mass cultivation of vegetables.

The UK aims to be a world leader in agricultural technology, innovation and sustainability through the Agri-Tech Strategy which the Government published in July 2013. £160 million was committed to be co-invested with industry and address challenges in the agri-tech sector including £70 million for an Agri-Tech Catalyst that supports collaborative research projects to take agricultural innovations from the laboratory to the marketplace, and £80 million invested in four world class Centres for Agricultural Innovation. This is to develop and support the wide scale adoption of innovation and technology, developing skills and capability in the food and farming supply chain.