British Sugar factory in Bury St Edmunds concludes ‘stellar’ campaign as it celebrates centenary

The British Sugar factory in Bury St Edmunds has processed 2.3 million tonnes of beet as it concludes its ‘stellar’ campaign during the site’s centenary.

The feat equates to approximately 0.32 million tonnes of sugar during the 2024/25 campaign, with 1.1 million tonnes across the firm’s four factories.

Meanwhile, construction continues on new £19.5m evaporators at Bury St Edmunds, which will be commissioned for the start of the 2025/26 campaign and reduce carbon emissions by 20,000 tonnes a year.

The factory has benefitted from a new front of house building, due to open this week.

Dan Green, agriculture director at British Sugar which also has factories in Cantley, Newark and Wissington, said the 2024/25 campaign had been a strong one for the UK beet sugar industry.

“The weather has been – for the most part – kind and, thankfully, the growing area has received nothing like the amount of rain or frost which we experienced in the last two campaigns,” he said.

“Growers have delivered average, or better than usual, yields and this has been complemented by solid factory performances across the board, with a particular callout to Bury and Cantley, both of which had a stellar campaign.

“We’re delighted with the combined efforts of our growers, hauliers, harvesting contractors, factory teams and everyone involved in the campaign for getting us to this stage safely and in good order.”

The campaign saw the launch of two new apps in the agricultural supply chain called Lifted and Delivered, which are designed to give greater visibility of which crops have been harvested and awaiting collection, as well as logging when it has been delivered to one of the factories.

Bury and Wissington will celebrate their centenaries throughout the year, with activities and events planned to mark the occasion with communities and growers, as well as current and former employees.

Focusing on the next crop, Mr Green said drilling was well under way and, providing some favourable weather, he was optimistic about the coming season.

“The colder winter and frost patches seen across our growing areas throughout January and February are expected to keep levels of aphids carrying Virus Yellows disease to a minimum but as always this is closely monitored across the industry,” he added.

“In addition, on-farm hygiene will be crucial to further minimise risk posed by aphids.

“Providing aphid populations stay low, and the summer weather is on our side, we expect to see healthy crops, strong yields, and good margins for our growers. Ensuring the viability of our homegrown sugar industry for the future.”