It will help local growers to fully meet the increasingly stringent needs of food producers, becoming an integral part of the supply chain. This will provide improved supply-trade contracts leading to longer term security.

There will be a significant reduction in intake times. 26,000t of additional storage has already been created with a further 5,000t available prior to next harvest in 2012.

In the long term, planning permission has been granted to upgrade the site to an 82,000t facility which would make it one of the largest central stores in the UK.

With a 1.5 million grant from EMDA the cost per tonne will be in the region of £115 per tonne.