UK Growers
G. S. Shropshire & Sons Ltd
G.S.Shropshire & Sons Ltd is a family owned business farming 1,400 ha of land primarily on the fenland of West Norfolk near Downham Market. We are specialists in field grown salad and vegetable production.
With a keen interest in the environment and crop quality the combination of modern farming practices, wildlife conservation and ICMS principles have given us a unique type of farming.
Facts:
Peter Shropshire
G. S. Shropshire & Sons Ltd
West Dereham, Norfolk
- 1400 ha
- Based in SW Norfolk near Downham Market
- FacMember of G's Growers since 1984
- Unique sub-irrigation system on the peat soils
Grows:
- Romaine Lettuce
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Chinese Leaf
- Celery
- Bulb Onions
- Potatoes
- Sugar Beet
- Wheat
- Barley
- Beans
Hire land to other G's Growers for:
- Red Beet
- Radish
Specialising in lettuce, celery and Chinese Leaf salad crops grown on the peat soils, our cropping rotation is complemented by a large range of other crops in the rotation including bulb onions and potatoes. To widen our rotation we rent land out for growing red beet, radish, carrots and leeks.
The crops on the majority of the farm are in a ring fence with uniform, deep peat soil type.
We operate a unique farming system on this 1000 ha where all of the land is laser levelled. This enables us to operate a sub-irrigation system by accurately controlling the level of the water table. Fungicide application is reduced due to the fact that the crop canopy stays dry, whereas overhead irrigation would create the ideal environment for disease development. In addition our water requirement is 50 % less than if we were using overhead irrigation, which on a hot sunny day could lose up to 60-70% through evaporation; our method reduces it to almost zero. With water being short in East Anglia this has economical and environmental advantages. Our two large winter storage reservoirs guarantee our water supply as well as a valuable habitat for wildlife.
Accredited by:
- Tesco Nurture (to Gold standard)
- Field to Fork (Marks & Spencer)
- LEAF
- BRC
- Assured Produce
- Assured Combinable Crops & Sugar Beet
- ELS on whole farm
We joined the Entry Level Scheme in 2006 and have renewed it in 2011 to encompass the whole farm. FWAG have estimated that 7% of the farm is uncropped wildlife habitat including thirty miles of hedgerows and ditches.
The British Trust for Ornithology have been surveying nightingales on the farm for the past two years and have divulged that the farm has one of the densest breeding populations of nightingales in the country due to the dense numerous hedgerows and nearby watercourses.