Hemp-30
Phase I Final ReportContents List
Executive Summary .................................................................. 1
1 Technical description of Hemp-30 innovation ........................ 2
2 Increasing sustainable biomass ............................................. 6
3 Wider environmental benefits ................................................. 94 Hemp-30 Phase 2 Project Plan ............................................ 10
4.1 Timelines ........................................................................ 10
4.2 Risks and risk management ........................................... 15
4.3 Phase 2 project team, controls and governance ............ 15
5 Commercialisation Plan ....................................................... 16
5.1 New plant varieties ......................................................... 17
5.2 New technologies to increase yield per hectare ............. 18
5.3 New processing technologies ......................................... 18
6 Summary of analysis ............................................................ 20
7 Annex List ............................................................................ 20

Executive Summary
The key objective of the Hemp-30 project is to catalyse a major expansion of thebreeding, growing, harvesting and utilisation of industrial hemp as a UK crop
through the 2020s and 2030s. This will significantly increase UK biomass
production and so reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions and help drive a
Green Industrial Revolution. The fast annual growth of industrial hemp allows thecrop to sequester up to 22 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare each year - morethan any other crop or woodland. Industrial hemp also has excellent environmental
qualities as a soil health improver with low input needs, representing an excellent
alternative break crop for farmers.
At present, the UK grows around 800 hectares of industrial hemp. Hemp-30 willseek to develop and implement a 10-year strategy to increase the amount grown atleast 100-fold to 80,000 hectares per annum making industrial hemp a major UK
crop. This will add £700 million to the UK economy and sequester or displace 1
million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
The Hemp-30 Phase 1 project has involved extensive discussion with hemp supply
chain stakeholders and, building upon these discussions, the production of aLandscape Review that describes the current position in the UK and globally
regarding industrial hemp as a crop and for the generation of a wide range of
products. In addition, a 10-year roadmap has been developed that summarises themain steps required to deliver the proposed 100-fold increase in the amount ofhemp grown in the UK by 2031.
The 3-year Hemp-30 Phase 2 project will develop and demonstrate industrial hemprelated innovations that fall into four main areas as follows:(1) Breeding of new industrial hemp varieties and seed multiplication - theUniversity of York has established a hemp fast-track plant breeding platform thathas been used to develop new hemp varieties and secure plant breeders’ rights.
The project will develop a pipeline of new hemp varieties with commercially valuable
traits to be utilised alongside a major expansion of existing cultivars. Multi-site fieldtrials and seed multiplication will run alongside new variety development.
(2) Development of novel methodologies to increase hemp biomass yield per
hectare – the project will demonstrate innovative harvesting technology for theefficient collection of industrial hemp from the field. In addition, the project will
evaluate the use of novel biological and chemical treatments to increase thebiomass yield of industrial hemp.
(3) Demonstration of innovative on-farm hemp processing technologies – theproject will assess the use of industrial hemp processing technologies linked to (1)bioenergy; (2) construction materials and (3) fibre for textiles, all of which have thepotential to be located on farms that grow industrial hemp.
(4) Develop UK supply, value and innovation chains for industrial hemp – theproject will develop a comprehensive programme of networking, communicationmaterials and information sharing that will address disconnects between
stakeholders in the industrial hemp value chain.
These innovations will help to drive a step change in hemp growing and productdevelopment in the UK in line with the 10-year roadmap that has been developed inPhase 1 of the Hemp-30 project.
11 Technical description of Hemp-30 innovation
The overarching innovation that the Hemp-30 project seeks to deploy is thetransformative change – at least 100-fold increase over 10 years - of industrial
hemp biomass grown as a major new, low-input break crop for arable crop
rotations in the UK.
The Hemp-30 Phase 1 project, including a Landscape Review and the developmentof a 10-year Roadmap (Annex 1), has identified four key barriers inhibiting a stepchange in industrial hemp cultivation in the UK and these are outlined below alongwith the innovations that will be delivered to overcome them.
Barrier 1: Cultivars of industrial hemp are not optimised for UK markets or for
UK agriculture and seed is expensive and difficult for UK growers to access
INNOVATION: Develop new industrial hemp varieties and seed supplies
The workflow for the development of new varieties, shown in Annex 2 Fig 1, will build
upon a molecular breeding platform, established by the University of York (UoY) overthe last 15 years, to develop and register new hemp varieties with valuablecommercial traits and Annex 2 Fig 2 shows the route to achieving this. Proof ofconcept has already been established with the successful registration of a new hemp
variety by UoY in 2021 (CNAP1HOH, UK PBR grant number 8851; Bielecka et al.,2015 – see Annex 10 for reference details). The Hemp-30 Phase 2 (Hemp-30 P2)
project will involve further testing and validation of this and other new varieties
already in development. Elsoms Seeds Ltd (ESL), the UK’s leading independent
seeds specialist and plant breeder, will conduct multi-site replicated field trials duringHemp-30 P2 in preparation for commercial release of the first new variety in 2025.
The UoY Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP) has developed CNAP1HOH
as a dual purpose, high oleic acid variety that produces seed and biomass (shiv andfibre). The novel high oleic acid seed oil trait is five times more stable thanconventional hemp seed oil at 20°C, offering new functionality and opportunity to thefood processing industry Annex 2 Fig 3. Additional novel seed oil traits are alreadyconfirmed in other lines, including elevated Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA), forming apipeline for registration and commercialisation with ESL. Advances in the ability to
rapidly sequence and assemble whole plant genomes combined with gamma
radiation mutagenesis that results in point, frame-shift, deletion and duplication
mutations, has given rise to Genomics-led Predictive Mutation Breeding. A highquality reference genome assembly of the industrial hemp variety used in the CNAP
mutation breeding platform (Laverty et al 2019) now makes possible the in-silico
identification of mutations in the DNA sequence of candidate genes from a
population of mutagenised plants. The bioinformatics methodology for detection of
mutations in the heterozygous state in candidate genes has recently been developed
at UoY and will be deployed on a new gamma-radiated mutant population ofindustrial hemp that will be established as part of Hemp-30 P2.
The effectiveness of gamma radiation in plant breeding is well established in multiple
crops and the lead applicant has used it in conjunction with a reference genome todevelop new commercial varieties of opium poppy. Based on existing experienceand outputs from mutation breeding, the establishment of a Genomics-led mutation2

breeding platform in hemp is expected to represent a game changer for developmentof improved traits that are under the control of one or a few major quantitative traitloci. Hemp-30 P1 feedback from growers and end users has indicated thatcannabinoid content, biomass yield and retting ability are priority targets for crop
improvement. and feasible targets for crop improvement.

Barrier 2: The performance of industrial hemp under UK conditions in terms ofyield, quality, carbon and biodiversity is poorly characterised deterring
growers and industrial users from adopting the crop and inhibiting access tovoluntary carbon markets and environmental support schemes
INNOVATION: Generate UK-specific industrial hemp agronomy data sets
ESL will conduct multi-site replicated agronomic trials over the 3-year duration of the
Hemp-30 P2 project. This will provide agronomic information and will also generatecomparative yield and performance data for growers to achieve best results. ESL
will coordinate this activity with other Hemp-30 P2 participants – Stockbridge
Technology Centre (STC) and KJ Voase & Sons (KJV) that, building upon the depthof expertise ESL and partners possess, is both technically and scientifically feasible
within the timescale of the project.
INNOVATION: Define UK-specific industrial hemp soil and biodiversity benefits
The other side of this innovation will be the generation of a data set for UK soil, waterand biodiversity benefits and will build the UK evidence base for the agrienvironmental benefits of hemp as a crop which improves soil health andbiodiversity. During P1 project the Hemp-30 team sought input from Defra ELMS andSoil Health teams to steer the design of these studies and field-based soil analysis
will be led by UoY that has plant-microbe-soil interactions expertise. The impact ofindustrial hemp as a break crop on arable land soil composition will focus on a
dedicated 3-year trial site designed and operated by sub-contractor STC, anagricultural centre of excellence with a licence to grow industrial hemp. The Game
and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) will lead on baseline assessments ofpollinator and natural pest enemy communities at the East Yorkshire Hemp farm site
run by subcontractor KJV who has been growing industrial hemp since 2002. GWCT
will trial and develop pollinator monitoring methods that are suitable for future use by
farmers in and monitor bee diversity and abundance on flowers of industrial hemp in
Canada (O’Brien et al, 2019).

Barrier 3: Technologies for growers to add value before the farm gate requiredemonstration to release investment in on-farm growing and processing
capabilities
INNOVATION: Evaluate sustainable nitrogen solutions
Subcontractor Azotic Technologies Ltd (ATL) are a UK company that produce
EnvitaTM and N-Fix® nitrogen fixing bacteria products that work across multiple
crops, are applied in liquid formulation and are reported to reduce synthetic nitrogen
fertilizer use by 25-50% while maintaining yield. Currently nitrogen is the only
significant agri-chemical input required for optimal industrial hemp growth in the UK.
As part of Hemp-30 P2, ATL will conduct initial trials to establish the efficacy of their3

products on industrial hemp with positive outcomes being factored into
demonstration trials in Yr3 of Hemp-30 P2.
INNOVATION: Optimise and provide information on harvesting technology
The fibrous nature of hemp biomass can cause issues when harvesting. The Hemp30 team will work with the East Yorkshire Hemp farm to assess harvesting
innovations developed by Hemp-30 P2 subcontractor KJV. The project team will
also create a publicly accessible database of machinery for harvesting hemp andreview technologies being developed within the UK by farm equipment
manufacturers including subcontractor Tatham Engineering Ltd (TEL), as well as
designs from other countries. Information on hemp harvesting equipment that isavailable for share or contract farming will be compiled. Feedback on experiences of
farmers will also be shared with UK farm equipment manufacturers to allow them tofurther innovate and improve UK built machinery for this growing market.
INNOVATION: Accelerate or bypass farm retting
Currently, retting to breakdown hemp cell wall components is conducted in the field,
and is reliant on favourable weather conditions, which are becoming increasingly
problematic with climate change patterns. Other countries use harsh chemicals andprocesses that are toxic and polluting. Subcontractor the Biorenewables
Development Centre (BDC) will investigate sustainable options using industrial
biotechnology solutions, such as enzymatic treatments, to produce more consistentquality fibre and shiv to meet market requirements. BDC and UoY have world
leading plant cell wall R&D capabilities and are very well placed to deliver this work.
INNOVATION: Evaluate advanced fibre processing for textiles
Subcontractor TEL will lead on trials for improved decortication, cleaning andfinishing for hemp-based wipes and other non-woven products and subcontractor
SeFF Fibre Ltd (SFL) will lead on the added value processing, using their patented
high voltage pulsed electrical discharge process, for ‘cottonised’ fibre for thepremium textiles market. This methodology has been tested extensively outside theUK, showing feasibility, but has not been demonstrated within the UK.
INNOVATION: Assessment of hemp-based construction materials
The BDC has warehouse space that will be used to produce and showcase a rangeof hemp-based construction materials including Hempcrete, hemp-based internalboards and hemp-based insulation materials. Subcontractors HempCrete Ltd (HCL)and Simpson York Limited (SYL) will assess these products in terms of theirfunctionality, cost and ease of access for the various building development projects
SYL are undertaking.
INNOVATION: Assess hemp biomass as a feedstock for bioenergy generation
BDC warehouse and laboratory space and existing pilot scale equipment will also be
used to assess hemp-based bioenergy and bio-based chemicals production through:

Anaerobic digestion – using BDC 30 litre AD facilities
Hemp-based pellet production and analysis – using BDC pelleting and analyticalfacilities4

Hemp-based bioethanol production – using BDC 5 and 30 litre hydrolysis andbioreactor facilities
BDC has extensive experience delivering pilot scale projects of this kind and has theexpertise and equipment in place to support this work.

Barrier 4: Connections between stakeholders in supply, value and innovation
chains are not well established

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INNOVATION: Develop UK supply, value and innovation chains for industrial
hemp
The Hemp-30 project team will develop supply, value and innovation chains forindustrial hemp. This will include:
Better knowledge sharing to accelerate adoption of industrial hemp, speed up
innovation and enable better regulation
Scaling the crop beyond its current niche markets to help establish connections
between potential large-scale users of hemp, investors and the growing community
Establish a UK industrial hemp industries ‘voice’ in the form of an Industrial Hemp
Trade Association to connect with policy makers and to promote its products andexpertise internationally
Generate an evidence base for carbon & biodiversity impacts of industrial hemp
cultivation and use in the UK is needed to underpin access to Voluntary Carbon
Markets (VCMs) and the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS).
BDC has extensive experience in establishing and delivering supply, value andinnovation chain groups in specific bioeconomy sectors. In addition, the 15 Hemp-30
project participants cover all aspects of the hemp supply chain and therefore havethe technical, scientific and business strengths to deliver this innovation during thetimeframe of the Hemp-30 P2 project.

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2 Increasing sustainable biomass
The overarching aim of Hemp-30 is to develop a supply of biomass feedstock for a
thriving ecosystem of hemp-based industries that adds 700 million pounds to the UK
economy and sequesters or displaces 1 million tonnes of CO2 each year by 2030
(See Annex 1). The Hemp-30 project will underpin production of industrial hemp on
at least 80,000 hectares of UK arable land as a profitable and soil-friendly break cropin cereal rotations with many growers adding value through on-farm processing of
the crop at regional hubs. By catalysing connectivity between growers, end users,
researchers and regulators, the project will realise the potential of hemp as raw
material not only in fuel and bioenergy but also to displace carbon intensive
resources within food, feed and construction as well as textiles and high value healthand wellbeing products. The robust evidence base that will be developed by the
Hemp-30 project will ensure that UK hemp-based products are sought after involuntary carbon markets and will play an important role in decarbonising theconstruction industry.
Unlike perennial short rotation coppice or miscanthus, hemp can be slotted into
existing arable rotations, giving an annual revenue without the lag time ofestablishing a perennial and the long-term dedicated land use. This allows rapid
expansion of supply as well as fulfilling an urgent need for new break crops in UK
agriculture.
The Hemp-30 P1 team has estimated that cultivation of hemp on 80,000 ha willproduce 640 kt pa dry biomass by 2031. This is a conservative projection - double
this yield has already been reported in environments comparable to the UK. 640kt isapproximately 12% of Defra’s estimate of UK straw production in 2019 (5.3 million t)
and around five times the combined mass of miscanthus and short rotation coppice
produced in 2019. 640 kt hemp could supply sufficient feedstock for construction andinsulation of around 250,000 homes, a commercial scale biorefinery producing
aviation fuel precursors or biorenewable chemicals as well as 150kt pellets for
production of electricity, biogas or heat.
Processing of hemp at regional on-farm facilities will generate products that cancapture value before the farm gate, enhancing farmer incomes and growing the rural
economy across the UK. Hemp can feed markets which have higher value thanbioenergy or biofuels and simultaneously offer better decarbonisation opportunities
for instance by sequestering carbon in construction products. This means that
expansion of hemp will add more value to UK PLC than most other sources ofbiomass. Hempo-30 team modelling suggests that hemp, in products for construction
and textiles, together with applications such as food, feed and personal care could
have a value of £700m pa to the UK economy within ten years (See Annex 1).
The Hemp-30 project innovations have been selected to drive a major step change
in the growing and utilisation of industrial hemp in the UK. Discussions with supply
chain stakeholders during Phase 1 indicate potential for significant growth in three
key markets:

As a raw material for bioenergy generation through combustion of biomass,
anaerobic digestion and second-generation bioethanol production
6As the key ingredient of bio-based building materials such as Hempcrete andhemp-based fibreboard
 As a high-quality fibre in the production of both woven and non-woven textiles,
particularly as a replacement for plastics-containing wipes
Hemp 30 innovations will increase the efficiency and profitability of UK hemp
industries by
1. developing a platform based on advanced genetics to breed hemp varieties thatare optimised for UK conditions and markets
2. demonstrating the performance of hemp as a break crop in UK cereal rotations
3. demonstrating advanced biological treatments to improve yield and reduce
inputs
4. demonstrating on farm processing technologies to establish their technoeconomic viability
5. analysing the environmental performance of hemp to underpin income from
ELMS for farmers and VCMs for the wider hemp industries.
6. Connecting hemp value, innovation and supply chains in diverse markets andestablishing hemp as a raw material in mainstream markets
KPIs that will indicate the success or otherwise of the HEMP 30 project will include:
1. area of UK-bred hemp cultivated in the UK (baseline = zero)
2. area of hemp under cultivation (baseline = 800 ha)
3. volume of hemp being processed on farm (baseline = 3kt)
4. volume of UK-grown hemp being supplied into key markets (baseline = 5 kt)
A sustainable UK hemp industry will support a sustainable bioeconomy, which inturn will support the development of high value, skilled jobs. In the USA, recent
designation of hemp as an agricultural crop (removing it from the controlled
substances regulations) has seen a 27% annual growth. The market for hemp
products in the US (non-medical) in 2017 was $820 million, this is on track toincrease to $2.6 billion (US domestic sales) by 2022.
The ‘before the farm gate” innovations proposed in the Hemp-30 project will
accelerate a sustainable supply of UK-grown hemp, enabling significant progress indecarbonising and adding value to the UK economy beyond the farm gate.
 Construction: Targets for net zero homes by 2050 necessitate use ofbiorenewable materials. These targets have been defined in the UKGBC Net
Zero Whole Life Carbon Roadmap https://www.ukgbc.org/ukgbc-work/netzero-whole-life-roadmap-for-the-built-environment/ and aim to achieve a net
zero carbon UK built environment by 2050, in relation to the construction,
operation, and demolition of buildings and infrastructure.
 Hempcrete and hemp insulation batts can be used to decarbonise construction,
insulate homes and create healthy, natural living and working environments thatare carbon negative through developing a sustainable supply of hemp. Hemp30 team modelling predicts construction products worth £300m that sequester
or displace >0.5Mt CO2 pa by 2031 (Annex 1).
 Textiles: Hemp, with its strong but biodegradable fibre, is well positioned toreplace plastics in non-woven products such as wipes. New technology tocottonise hemp fibre will open markets in woven textiles, avoiding the socialand environmental drawbacks of cotton.
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Automotive and Aerospace - hemp produces strong lightweight materials foruse in interior panels for cars and the aerospace market. With some technology
development, the wind industry could use hemp fibre in turbine blades.
Food & feed: The healthy profile of hempseed oil and protein is attractive forhuman and animal diets. Hempseed meal is well placed to meet exponentiallygrowing UK markets for plant based ‘meat’ products, replacing imported soy as
raw material.
Health & wellbeing The UK is home to a thriving CBD industry generating
sales worth £700m in 2021; oil from imported hempseed is already widely usedin personal care products and pharmaceuticals founded in cannabis have UK
markets of £1bn by 2025.
Bioenergy Bioenergy from pelleted hemp biomass is a market that will driveincreased hemp cultivation and sequester CO2 from 2027, as BECCS iscommercialised,
Biofuel Hemp-30 could secure a consistent source of feedstock sufficient toestablish commercial scale biorefining in the UK for manufacture ofbiorenewable aviation fuels and chemicals
Voluntary carbon markets: companies which have committed to net zero willneed to purchase carbon offsets: the well documented, reliable carbon
sequestration underpinned by Hemp-30 will have value in these markets
Biomass processing equipment UK biomass processing technology
providers - such as Hemp-30 P2 subcontractor TEL and Wilson Knowles, textile
engineering manufacturers (Bradford) - will expand and grow their world leading
biomass processing technologies, already in demand globally.
Paper - hemp can improve the productivity, sustainability and resilience of ouragriculture and forestry, where an acre of hemp provides four times more paper
than trees.
Greater social innovation - as a product with multiple end-uses, hemp
presents the opportunity for rural communities and businesses to develop
local supply and processing networks - eg hemp processing for low carbon
building materials, sourced close to the point of production.
Promoting rural entrepreneurship and industries - a vibrant hemp
industry will provide new manufacturing opportunities in innovative productareas such as alternatives to plastics, low carbon building materials andhealthier foods such as Good Hemp oil and dairy-free milk.
Bridging the age gap for UK farmers - Hemp presents an attractive offer toyounger farmers and growers supporting new jobs and skills, in developing
and growing new varieties and processing innovations for ancillary hemp
industries.

83 Wider environmental benefits
Hemp has been shown to fix up to 22 tons CO2 per hectare, significantly more thanpasture, wheat or miscanthus at 4, 8 and 15 t /ha respectively. Hemp is a more
efficient carbon store than any other commercial crop, including woodland.
Depending on the final use of the plant material, this sequestered carbon canpotentially be stored indefinitely in products such as loft insulation, Hempcrete andbiochar. Bio-composite products like Hempcrete (made from the woody shiv) canboth offset a carbon intensive building material (such as concrete) andsimultaneously provide a long-term carbon store.
Hemp-30 P1 team modelling (see Annex 1) suggests that use of hemp inconstruction, for bioenergy with BECCS and biochar will sequester around 0.5 million
tonnes CO2 and displace a further 0.5 million tons per year by 2031, contributing to
the UK’s net zero ambitions.
Hemp can slot easily into existing arable rotations, fulfilling an urgent need for new
break crops for cereal cultivation. Break crops are used in rotation with cereal crops
to suppress weeds and pests and improve soil quality. Increased reliance on oilseed
rape (OSR) as a break crop has led to problems with herbicide resistant black grass,which is costing UK farmers £400m pa and reducing wheat yields by 800,000 t pa.
The ban on neonicotinoids together with outbreaks of cabbage stem flea beetle havealso led to OSR crop failures. Hemp has been reported to deliver significant benefits
in rotations, increasing subsequent yield of winter wheat by up to 47%. Its canopy
effect and possibly allelopathic compounds suppress weeds. It also reduces
nematode populations in subsequent sugar beet crops.
Hemp’s deep tap root system allows the crop to access nutrients outside the reachof most annual crops that may otherwise pollute groundwater and rivers. The rootsystem helps to decompact and add carbon to arable soils. These have lost 40-60%
of their organic carbon and represent a key challenge for UK agriculture.
Hemp is a low input crop which uses nitrogen very efficiently. Replacement of 1 haof OSR with industrial hemp could save 100 kg nitrate, 4 herbicide, 3 fungicide, 3
insecticide and 1 growth regulator spray rounds, benefitting local soil microbiota,
insect, bird, mammal, amphibian, and fish populations, both directly and indirectly.
Hemp has a complementary flowering season to mainstream crops, ensuring an
extended season pollen supply, especially when there is scarcity from other crops.
Whilst wider cultivation of hemp may give rise to new pests and diseases that do notcurrently affect the crop, the breeding programme will provide germplasm with broad
range resistance that can be rapidly integrated into elite cultivars of hemp.

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4 Hemp-30 Phase 2 Project Plan
The Hemp-30 P2 project will be delivered through 8 parallel Work Packages (WPs)
that are described below and in the attached P2 Gantt Chart (Annex 3) and
Milestone and Deliverable table (Annex 4) that show the project’s key deliverables,deliverable dependencies, overall project milestones and timescales.
The P2 project will represent the first 3-year phase of a 10-year strategy to delivertransformative change to UK biomass production by increasing, at least 100-fold, thelevel of industrial hemp grown in the country. This 10-year roadmap for Hemp-30 isincluded with this report as Annex 1.

4.1 Timelines
Work Package 1 (WP1) - Hemp-30 P2 project management – UoY/BDC
The project will be led by the UoY and, as for Phase 1, involve BDC, Lucid Insight
Ltd (LIL) and Kepier & Co Ltd (KCL) as key project subcontractors. In addition, afurther 11 subcontractor organisations will be involved, all of whom have specificexpertise relating to particular Hemp-30 P2 activities. The project will have aManagement Team that meets monthly to assess project performance andaddresses any issues. A Project Operations Group will also be established, with arepresentative from all 15 participating organisations, that will meet quarterly toreport on project progress. Importantly, a Hemp-30 Industrial Advisory Group has
also been put in place made up of key industry stakeholders including Drax Group,
the NFU, UK hemp, IndiNature, the Rowett Institute (nutrition and human health) and
Nestle, that will provide insight into the various commercialisation pathways for UK
hemp. The management team will report to BEIS through monthly monitoring
meetings, quarterly reports and through bi-annual stage-gate reviews. The
management structure of the project as a whole, including how the broader financial,legal and administrative capabilities of UoY will be drawn upon to help deliver the
project, is described in Annex 5.
The remaining 7 WPs of this 3-year innovation programme have been designed todeliver 4 overarching objectives that will overcome 4 key barriers to the wider
deployment of industrial hemp as a biomass feedstock identified during Phase 1 of
the Hemp-30 project.
OBJECTIVE 1 Accelerate development and make available varieties ofindustrial hemp suitable for UK growing conditions and end uses
WP2 will deliver an industrial hemp breeding programme - UoY
UoY has previously developed new seed oil varieties of industrial hemp that relied on
the use of chemical mutagenesis and reverse genetics to identify mutations incandidate genes. Annex 2 Fig 1 and 3 summarise this approach.
Hemp-30 P2 will advance both the capability and capacity of that approach throughthe development of a Genomics-led Predictive Breeding Platform. Gamma
radiation will be used to massively increase the genetic variation that can be10

accessed for crop improvement compared to either natural or chemically induced
variation. Low coverage genome sequencing will be used to generate an in-silico
genome catalogue of M2 progeny from gamma-radiated seed. In-silico identificationof homozygous and heterozygous/hemizygous mutations in candidate genes will be
confirmed by follow-up molecular genetic and phenotypic analysis of individuals
retrieved from bar-coded seed stocks using an established Laboratory Information
Management System. This genomics-led breeding platform will be the first of its kindfor industrial hemp and will yield new genetic variation and capability for rapid
screening, identification and retrieval of mutations in candidate genes.
Hemp-30 Phase 2 will focus on two key targets for crop improvement:(1) cannabinoid composition and (2) biomass yield and post-harvest retting.
Cannabinoid composition
Developing a new industrial hemp variety with zero cannabinoids would represent
a game-changing innovation for prospective growers and may lead to a shift in
Government policy regarding licencing. Deletion of cannabinoid synthesisinggenes by genomics led predictive breeding should result in a stable zerocannabinoid industrial hemp variety. Existing knowledge of candidate genes
together with a high-quality reference genome in the public domain (Lavery et al.,2019) provide the knowledge base for genomics-led predictive breeding to deliverpre-commercial zero-cannabinoid industrial hemp lines within the period of Hemp30 P2.
Biomass yield and post-harvest retting
A recent report (Biswal et al., (2019) showed that it is possible to increase biomassyield and digestibility without compromising plant growth in both woody (poplar)and grass (switchgrass) species by down-regulating a key gene involved in pectinbiosynthesis. UoY will use a Genomics-led Predictive Breeding platform to identify
mutations in plant cell wall biosynthetic genes including hemp orthologues of thoseshown to be effective at increasing biomass yield and digestibility in woody andgrass species – UoY has already established that such orthologues are present inindustrial hemp. Phenotyping of genetically stable mutants for biomass yield, sugar
extractability relevant to second generation biofuel and retting will be conductedusing established platforms. Importantly for the Hemp-30 P2 programme, while
the mutant population will be generated in an early flowering seed variety thatallows three generations per annum under glass, once identified, new biomass
traits can be crossed into later flowering biomass material and registered as new
distinct uniform and stable UK varieties that are optimised for UK growing
conditions and markets.

11Variety Registration and National Listing of High (8%) GLA hemp variety
UoY based mutation breeding has already produced a novel hemp line with double
the amount of Gamma-linolenic acid as present in existing commercial hemp oil(Annex 1 Fig 3). GLA is considered to have health beneficial effects and this newtrait represents an excellent opportunity to register a second new industrial hemp
variety for the UK market during Hemp-30 P2 following established procedures – seeAnnex 2 Fig 2.
This WP will therefore take target traits from idea through to stable genetic
improvement before passing on to WP3 and WP4 for seed multiplication and fieldtrials respectively.
WP3 is designed to deliver industrial hemp seed multiplication - ESL
Certified seed of the UoY generated variety, CNAP1HOH, and other selected hemp
varieties are essential as a bank of stock seed and will be needed for future largescale seed multiplications to meet market demand. Seed is also needed to perform
agronomic trials across 3 years and a range of regions, growing conditions andagronomic practices to allow comparison of varieties for farmer/grower informationand selection. Seed storage trials will be needed to ensure that the seed produced
from seed productions remains viable in store / transport, etc and meets commercial
requirements, such as minimum germination levels.
The basic target is to generate 1 tonne of seed available for commercial launch in2025 following the end of the P2 project period. In addition, enough seed needs tobe generated throughout the project period for trialling in seasons 2022, 2023 and2024.
During 2022 seed will be generated using polytunnel grown hemp by ESL and thenin 2023 in glasshouses. During 2023 and 2024, field production will be conducted tocheck for commercial scale production performance.
OBJECTIVE 2 Develop methods to increase biomass yield/hectare whilst
reducing inputs
WP4 is focused upon the characterisation of industrial hemp as a crop - ESL
Field trials of existing industrial hemp varieties will be undertaken by ESL under UK
conditions along with the characterisation of hemp as a break crop for wheat. This
will include analysis of carbon sequestration above and below ground and thebiodiversity effect of growing hemp.
ESL will conduct multi-site replicated agronomic trials over the 3-year duration of the
project. This will provide agronomic information and will also generate comparative
yield and performance data for growers to achieve best results. ESL will coordinate
this activity with other partners that, building upon the depth of expertise ESL andpartners possess, is both technically and scientifically feasible within the timescale ofthe project.

12In addition, a data set will be generated for UK soil and biodiversity benefits and willbuild the UK evidence base for the agri-environmental benefits of hemp as a cropwhich improves soil health and biodiversity. Field-based soil analysis, including DNA
profiling of soil microbes and elemental analysis including carbon, will be led byecologists at UoY. The impact on industrial hemp as a break crop on arable land soil
composition will focus on a dedicated 3-year trial site designed and operated through
STC. The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) will deliver (1) project
management for biodiversity surveying; (2) baseline assessments of pollinator andnatural pest enemy communities in hemp crops and (3) trial and develop pollinatormonitoring methods that are suitable for future use by farmers in anticipation of ELM
payments requiring farm-based data on biodiversity.
WP5 will explore innovations to maximise hemp yield/hectare. Evaluation of theuse of novel seed and plant treatments will be undertaken to maximise biomass andspecific plant components such as fibre, seed, shiv and leaf quantities. In addition,
the project will evaluate and develop industrial hemp harvesting technology, building
upon innovations that already exist on farm.
Azotic Technologies Ltd (ATL) will evaluate their N-Fix® technology, based on thebacteria Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus to assess yield performance in industrial
hemp. ATL will undertake plant growth cabinet-based assessments and in-fieldtesting following well defined methodologies used in a range of other crop plants
both in the UK and globally. The Hemp-30 project sites available through STC, KJV
and ESL, will be used to provide in field environments and the BDC facilities (where
ATL shares a site) will be available for growth cabinet-based experiments.
In parallel with this work, the project team will explore opportunities to improve andmore widely disseminate hemp harvesting technology. This will be delivered in partthrough an evaluation of innovative harvesting technology developed bysubcontractor NVS on the East Yorkshire Hemp farm and also through a broader
assessment of global hemp harvesting technologies and the creation of information
sheets to communicate this information to interested parties.
OBJECTIVE 3 Demonstrate innovative on-farm processing technologies that
increase farm incomes and reduce environmental impacts
WP6 will evaluate and further develop hemp processing innovations.
Evaluation of before the farm gate innovation opportunities including decortication
fibre cottonisation technology, use of on farm anaerobic digestion (AD), biochar
production and on farm pelleting of biomass.
The BDC has open access pilot scale biomass processing and analysis facilities aswell as vacant warehouse space that will be used to assess a series of hemp
processing innovations that have the potential to be used on farm.
Three hemp product categories will be investigated – (1) textiles; (2) construction;and (3) bioenergy, as these appear to offer the greatest level of demand forincreased UK-grown hemp biomass.

13

Industrial hemp is an excellent source of fibre for woven and non-woven textile
products. BDC facilities will be used to evaluate fibre processing technologies
including those developed by TEL and SFL project subcontractors.
BDC warehouse space will be used to assemble and showcase hemp-based
construction materials including hempcrete, building boards and insulation. SYL will
undertake an evaluation of these materials, as part of their pipeline of building
development projects, in terms of functionality, cost and access to supplies at scale.
BDC pilot scale AD facilities will be used to assess biogas and hydrogen production
using hemp biomass. Access to biomass for AD plants can be a limiting factor andthe performance of UK-grown hemp will be evaluated for its biomethane potential.
BDC pelleting facilities will be used to assess hemp-based pellets for use inbioenergy generation and downstream biochar production using subcontractor
University of Nottingham’s BioChar Demonstrator facility.
BDC also has access to facilities and expertise for evaluating bioethanol production
from lignocellulosic material. The potential of hemp as a biomass source forbioethanol production will be assessed using BDC 5 and 30 litre hydrolysis andbioreactor facilities.
WP7 will represent an environmental, economic and social impact
assessment. Analysis of the sustainability (economic, environmental and social) of
products and processes that rely on hemp as a raw material eg for construction,
textiles, biofuels.
The life cycle greenhouse gas emissions balance of hemp-derived products will beassessed through comprehensive carbon accounting, considering 1) trial data on
hemp cultivation in UK, including soil carbon change; 2) manufacture of hempcomposite construction materials, energy products, and biochar; and 3) use of hempderived products to sequester biogenic carbon and displace incumbents. This activity
will link through all work packages, providing an evolving view as data becomes
available of the role of UK manufactured hemp-derived products in contributing to
net zero progress through generation of on-farm carbon credits, sequestration ofbiogenic carbon in construction materials and biochar, and displacement of fossil fueluse.
Growing trial data generated during the project, including fertiliser and agrochemical
input rates, yield, and soil carbon impacts, will be key inputs to quantifying impacts ofhemp cultivation. This data will be supplemented with literature values to estimate
variability and longer-term soil carbon impacts of hemp as a break crop. Anticipatedyield improvements will be incorporated in future-looking scenarios. Manufacture anduse of hemp-composite construction materials will be assessed with production
process data from project partners, accounting for utility and material inputs andgeneration of hemp residue materials, and scenarios for their use in place of
conventional materials. Results will be validated with existing studies of similarmaterials in other markets (Arrigoni 2017). Residual materials will be considered forfuel pellet and biochar markets. Pellet production and use will be assessed byadapting existing models (McKechnie 2011 and 2017) and consider potential forbiogenic CO2 sequestration, while net carbon sequestration with biochar will be
14

assessed with tools from the Biochar Demonstrator (UKRI GHG Removal
Demonstrator), led by UoN.
OBJECTIVE 4 Connect and share knowledge across industrial hemp supply
and innovation chains
WP8 Supply Chain Development Programme. A comprehensive programme of
networking and information sharing will address disconnects between stakeholders
in the industrial hemp value chain. Better knowledge sharing will accelerate adoptionof industrial hemp, speed up innovation and enable better regulation. Acting as an“honest broker”, the Hemp-30 project team will catalyse connections between
potential large-scale users of hemp, investors and the growing community to release
investment in both growing and processing the crop. The BDC subcontractor will
work with the other project participants to create a voice for the industrial hemp
community to connect with policy makers and to promote its products and expertiseinternationally. UoN will undertake life cycle analysis of hemp cultivation, harvest andprocessing to enable potential access to Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs) and theEnvironmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS).

4.2 Risks and risk management
A Risk Assessment table for the Hemp-30 P2 project is attached separately as
Annex 6 summarising the key project risks and the mitigation steps in place. This
covers COVID-related risks to the project as well as a range of other technical,
financial and stakeholder engagement risks and mitigations.

4.3 Phase 2 project team, controls and governance
The Hemp-30 P2 project will be led by UoY with the BDC as the main projectsubcontractor. A strong consortium of UK-based participants has been assembled,
covering the entire hemp industry supply chain to deliver P2 of the Hemp-30 project.
This group will collectively deliver a series of connected innovations that drive a stepchange in hemp biomass production in the UK leading to reduction in greenhousegas emissions and commercialisation in hemp-based textiles, construction andbioenergy markets alongside growth in food-based products. The project Gantt chart(Annex 3) provides a list of all P2 project participants and a short code for each one.
The project will be governed by a Project Management Group (UoY and BDC) thatwill meet monthly and a Project Operations Group that will meet quarterly. In
addition, an Industrial Advisory Group will be established involving representatives
from all of the major hemp-product supply chains. Annex 5 provides an overview of
the Hemp-30 P2 project management and governance arrangements.

15

5 Commercialisation Plan
Industrial hemp is a multi-billion dollar global industry with growing levels of planting,product development and major investment across much of the world. In 2019, theglobal hemp market was valued at £3.5bn and is expected to increase significantlywith a CAGR of 34% taking it to £19.6bn by 2025, and continuing to £26bn by 2030,
which is over 7-fold growth of market value.
The ambition for the 10-year Hemp-30 programme is 100-fold growth from 800 to
80,000 hectares, 14 times faster than the predicted prevailing world growth ofindustrial hemp cultivation. This accelerated growth will ensure that the UK will
dramatically improve its share of the market from 0.3% in 2020 to c5% in 2030. In
achieving this, the UK industrial hemp market value will climb from £11.4m in 2020 to£1.3bn in 2030.
P1 of the Hemp-30 project has engaged with business and other stakeholders
throughout the hemp supply chain from seed, through growing, harvesting and end
users as well as regulators, policy makers and researchers – see Annex 7 for asummary of these discussions. Building on the relationships and insights gained
from this work, the P2 project will co-develop research and demonstration activities
with stakeholders, ensuring that the innovations address real needs, that they
progress rapidly though technology and business readiness levels and are widely
disseminated to appropriate audiences. The Hemp-30 P2 Industrial Advisory Groupwill be an important sounding-board and source of connections and guidance forcommercialisation.
The financial growth plan model developed during the P1 project for Hemp-30(Annexes 8 and 9) has been built to reflect the impact of the work that will be done
during the Hemp-30 P2 project itself, and for the following five years.
The model will be developed and refined during the P2 period as additional data
becomes available. The model shows 5-year sales growth to £800m pa achieving
cumulative sales of £1.7Bn over the period. The Net Present Value of the UK Hemp
Industry in 2030 forecast is £4.7Bn.
A modest £5m Capex is assumed at the very early stages as we anticipate mostinfrastructure and plant used will be repurposed from existing uses with only minor
modification required.
Sales grow from £149m in year 1 to £799m in year 5 (Annex 8 Fig 4 & 5) with anincreasing growth curve based on a final area under planting of 80kha (Annex 8 Fig1), based on rising Biomass and Seed Production due to work undertaken in Phase
2 (Annex 8 Fig 2).
The sales mix contributing to income matures and develops over the five years
following the project moving from more of a reliance on streams with existing
markets (eg biofuels) to those higher value sectors requiring market development(eg healthcare products) as time progresses (Annex 8 Fig 3).

16

Opex is forecast to increase from £87M to £542M over the timescale and willfluctuate depending on the sales mix achieved and margins attributable to thediffering income streams (Annex 8 Fig 6).
The model is based around differing expected margins between the income streams
and will require further refinement as the project progresses.
Overall profitability is forecast to rise from £62M to £258M over five years (Annex 8
Fig 6) as the industry benefits from greater scale and development of the sales mix.
The model will be developed to maximise the margin attainable through the sales
mix, and the existing data represent a midpoint / average return we hope would
improve.
Key to effective commercialisation will be the Hemp-30 P2 communications
campaign which aims to join up the fragmented hemp supply and value chains andsupport development of an Industrial Hemp Trade Association. This will act as avoice for the UK hemp industries, advertising, educating, publishing, lobbying, andenabling collaboration between companies through conferences, networking andcollaborative pre-commercial research.
The Hemp-30 P2 communications campaign will be guided by a communications
strategy that will be drawn up in the first three months of the project detailing key
messages, stakeholder groups and routes through which to reach these audiences
as well as metrics for analysing the effectiveness of the campaign. A programme of
networking events, exhibitions, open days and on-farm demonstrations will be
developed supported by digital and print media and articles in relevant trade press.
In addition to growers and contractors, the campaign will reach out to mainstream
end users in the construction, textile, fuel and bioenergy sectors as well as food andfeed manufacturing.
Importantly, the evidence base that is developed for the environmental impacts ofIndustrial Hemp will be shared with investors and agencies who are developing
products for voluntary carbon markets as well as those in Defra who are working up
standards for support under the Environmental Land Management Scheme, opening
new potential opportunities for income from these sources.
The individual pre-farm gate innovations proposed in P2 will be commercialised
within the overarching framework described throughout this report. Annex 1 provides
a roadmap of how the industry will develop over the coming ten years and how theactivities in the three-year P2 project will accelerate and support this development.

5.1 New plant varieties
UoY has already gone through the entire UK registration process to obtain UK Plant
Breeders Rights and register a new hemp variety (CNAP1HOH) with a modified seedoil profile. Other new varieties are also in the UoY pipeline including a high Gamma
Linolenic Acid (GLA) variety with double the amount of GLA compared to current
commercial hemp seed oil. Through P1 of the Hemp-30 project, UoY has developed
a collaboration with Elsoms Seeds, the UK's leading independent seed specialist and17plant breeder. Through this collaboration, the Hemp-30 project aims to haveconducted multisite field trials cross the UK and have verified seed ready for farmer
use in 2025 - consistent with the 10-year roadmap. In this way, outputs from thisstrand of the project will be delivered to the wider UK market and the project teamwill also explore opportunities for export sales for the verified seed. The P2 projectwill engage with food manufacturing companies to test the seed oil in their products
and establish the oil in their supply chains.
Proving to UK growers that this UK-developed variety provides them with a goodcommercial return will establish a strong platform from which to launch follow-up
varieties, expanding the area devoted to hemp growing and reducing reliance of the
UK on imports of biomass, fibre, oils, and seeds.

5.2 New technologies to increase yield per hectare
East Yorkshire Hemp is home to farm-based business KJV that has developed aunique series of hemp harvesting technologies that have thus far been used only on
the KJV farm. The P2 project will explore opportunities to further develop thistechnology in collaboration with the agricultural engineering company TEL and thendemonstrate and seek to commercialise these capabilities to other hemp farmers
across the UK and internationally.
ATL has developed a series of bacterial treatments to increase crop yield. This
technology has been field trialled in the UK and the US using crops such as maize,
rice and potatoes. The P2 project will investigate the potential for ATL technology to
be used to increase the yield per hectare of industrial hemp. Working in controlledplant growth environments and through field trials, the potential of ATL technology
will be explored and, if successful, will be demonstrated to UK farmers andpotentially on an international basis following similar roll out procedures alreadybeing used by ATL for other crop treatments.

5.3 New processing technologies
Decortication
In addition to innovative harvesting facilities, KJV has developed a unique hemp
downstream processing facility through collaborations with TEL and a range of otheragricultural machinery companies. The P2 project will explore opportunities tofurther develop this technology in collaboration with TEL and then demonstrate andseek to commercialise these capabilities to other hemp farmers across the UK andinternationally.
The Hemp-30 team has engaged extensively through P1 of the project withbusinesses involved in hemp supply chains linked to all of the major hemp-based
products. Through this work, 3 key product supply chains have emerged as areas
where further processing innovation and demonstration can be most impactfully
applied. The BDC has existing scale up and demonstration facilities and access toadditional warehouse space that can be used to develop and demonstrate
innovations linked to (1) Bioenergy; (2) Construction (3) Textiles-based hemp supply
chains.

18







Bioenergy
PELLETS Industrial hemp represents a potentially important new UK bioenergy cropthat can be used to support the transition away from fossil-based power
generation. This potential has been recognised by Drax Group, the largest
bioenergy power generator in the world with its main facilities based in North
Yorkshire, and by growing consortia such as Rare Earth Global (REG). The BDC
has facilities that will be used to assess the processing of hemp biomass into pellets
and subsequent analysis. Working with Drax and REG, the BDC will evaluate hemp
as a mainstream biomass crop.
BIOGAS P2 will also explore hemp as a biomass feedstock for anaerobic digestionor, via dark fermentation, the production of hydrogen. The BDC has existing AD
research and demonstration capabilities up to 1,000 litres and an extensive networkof AD operators to work with and explore this potential route to hemp-based
bioenergy.
ADVANCED AVIATION FUELS UoY, supported by BDC scale up capabilities, isworld leading in the development of second-generation bioethanol and related
platform chemical production. The P2 project will explore hemp as a raw material inthis process. UoY leads two of the UK’s 6 Networks in Industrial Biotechnology andBioenergy – BBNet and HVB Net – each with over 500 academic and industrial
members. These two networks will provide an excellent route to engaging with thewider market for all three of the areas discussed above.
Construction
The Hemp-30 project team has engaged extensively with the hemp construction
materials sector. Advanced plans have been developed by Hempcrete Ltd working
with the Unyte Group to establish a series of hemp farming and construction material
production centres across the UK. The BDC team also collaborates with Adaptavate
Ltd, a UK-based SME, focused on developing and commercialising bio-basedmaterials that disrupt the construction market. These include Breathaplasta, a
hemp-based plaster and Breathaboard, a hemp-based plasterboard alternative.
The BDC works closely with SYL a Yorkshire-based building and fit-out company
that is exploring the use of bio-based building materials across a series of UK
development sites. The P2 project will work with these businesses to broker
connections and opportunities to showcase new developments and also
demonstrate and showcase innovative hemp-based products at the BDC site toother interested construction companies.
TextilesThe Phase 1 project team has worked closely with SFL, a Yorkshire-based businessdeveloping an innovative process for modifying the properties of hemp fibre to
produce a softer more ’cotton-like’ material for use in woven and non-woven
textiles. SFL has interest from major clothing companies such as Levis and Burberry
and will work with the P2 project team to explore the potential for the deployment of‘Seff Technology’ as an on-farm processing capability.
The global trend to move away from plastics-based textiles has driven strong interestin the development of hemp-based non-woven fibres such as wipes used across a
broad range of sectors. Working with TEL, the P2 project team will explore
opportunities for on-farm innovations, using the BDC site as a testbed for thisdevelopment and demonstration work.

19

6 Summary of analysis
The P1 Stakeholder Engagement involved conversations with over forty
organisations from the full range of industries in the Industrial Hemp supply
chain. The findings from these interviews are summarised in Annex 7 which
provides up to date information from key stakeholders to support development of the
Hemp-30 roadmap (Annex 1) and guide the activity proposed in the Hemp-30 P2
application.
Assumptions underlying the projected growth of the industrial hemp industries are
summarised on pages 20 and 21 of the roadmap in Annex 1. The financial growthplan has been created using a granular approach to all financial captions, withincome modelled based on increasing forecast areas grown, likely yields of bothseed and fibre and nine separate income lines to represent the product mix. For
each year, reasonable growth within each caption and a maturing sales mix were
included.
For operating expenses, the model includes estimates of field establishment costs,
ongoing costs for cultivation and harvest, and a granular forecast margin for eachsales caption to represent anticipated operating expenses. Operating expenses also
include costs incurred for the establishment of a hemp trade association.
Capital expenses have been estimated based on modest initial setup costs. Ourearly enquiries suggest modifications to existing plant and machinery rather thaninvestment in entirely new equipment will be required.
Other assumptions include forecast income (and cost) annual inflation of 3.0%.

7 Annex List
Annex 1 – 10-Year Hemp-30 Roadmap
Annex 2 – Hemp Breeding Strategies
Annex 3 – Hemp-30 Phase 2 Gantt chart
Annex 4 – Hemp-30 Phase 2 Deliverables and Milestones spreadsheet
Annex 5 – Phase 2 Project Management and GovernanceAnnex 6 – Phase 2 Risk Register
Annex 7 – Stakeholder engagement findings
Annex 8 – Hemp-30 Commercialisation Summary
Annex 9 – Hemp-30 Business Model
Annex 10 – References cited in the Phase 1 Final Report20Annex 1

hemp-30
Phase 1 BFI ProjectIndustrial Hemp
10-Year Roadmap

Partners:

CONTENTS

1

Vision1

Background and Context		

2Market opportunities

3

Projections for hemp 2022-31

4

Priorities for UK hemp

5

Overview of hemp industries 2022-2031		

6Timeline for hemp cultivation and use

7

Activities to develop UK hemp		

9

Breakdown of actor roles		10

Industrial hemp by 2030: Industry vision

11

Annex 1: Priority 1 – Roadmap for new varieties		12

Annex 2: Priority 2 – Roadmap for hemp cultivation

15

Annex 3: Priority 3 – Roadmap for hemp industries

17

Annex 4: Commentary on projections

20

Abbreviations

22

VISION
Our vision is for a thriving ecosystem of hemp-basedindustries that adds 700 million pounds to the UK
economy and sequesters or displaces a million tonnes of
CO2 each year.
Farmers will plant hemp on at least 80,000 hectares of UK
arable land as a profitable and soil-friendly break crop in
cereal rotations with many growers adding value throughon-farm processing of the crop at regional hubs.
With excellent connectivity between growers, end users,
researchers and regulators, the crop will be used as raw
material in diverse markets to displace more carbon
intensive resources within food, feed, construction, biofueland bioenergy industries as well as textiles and high value
health and wellbeing products.
Founded on a robust evidence base, UK hemp-based
products will be sought after in voluntary carbon markets
and will play an important role in decarbonising theconstruction industry.
The UK will be recognised world-wide both as a leader infast-track breeding of optimised hemp cultivars and as
innovator in hemp processing.

1

BACKGROUNDAND CONTEXT
Industrial hemp is currently grown on a few hundredhectares in the UK. It has potential both as a low input
break crop in cereal rotations and as a sustainable raw
material for a range of industries, however, it faces a
number of barriers: Growers suffer from limited availability and expenseof certified seed together with poor evidence on
the performance of different varieties under UK
conditions. The effectiveness of hemp in rotation withcereals for suppression of weeds and disease as well
as sequestering CO2, improving soil organic carbon
and enhancing biodiversity need demonstration andanalysis so that growers can select the best variety for
their purposes and access the opportunities arising from“carbon farming”.
 Current use of hemp products is niche rather thanindustrial in scale. Potential large scale users will notinvest in hemp as a raw material because supply is
insecure with limited numbers of producers. Producers
will not grow at scale until the markets for their productare secure - Catch 22.
 Connections are lacking between potential large scale
users of hemp and the growing community as well aswith research groups. Poor knowledge sharing meansthat opportunities for adding value before the farm gate
are not adopted and innovation is slow.

2

 Whilst the industry agrees regulation is important, thecurrent licensing process is unwieldy, untimely andexpensive for growers as well as limiting opportunities
for UK processing of high value extractives.
 The UK is world leading in the use of hemp inconstruction as well as the genetics of hemp secondary
metabolism and seed oil composition but could lose
this first mover advantage.

MARKETOPPORTUNITIES
Productive break crop

Food & feed

Composites

Carbon farming

Construction

Health & wellbeing

Hemp can meet a pressing need for new break crops
in cereal rotations, reducing the need for pesticides,
suppressing weeds and enhancing yields of cereal
crops. A conservative estimate suggests production of
100kt seed and 600kt biomass from 80,000 ha in 2031.
Hemp can fix up to 22t CO2 per ha in above groundbiomass whilst enhancing soil carbon and biodiversity.
Hemp biochar for soil amendment or as cofeedstock for AD or heat and power can help farms
achieve net zero and income from ELMS or VCMs.

Value before the farm gate

Processing of hemp at regional on-farm facilities
for construction raw materials or food/feed/
health products can capture value before thefarm gate, enhancing farmer incomes andgrowing the rural economy across the UK.

3

The healthy profile of hempseed oil and protein is
attractive for human and animal diets. Hempseed
meal is well placed to meet exponentially growing
UK markets for plant based ‘meat’ products,
replacing imported soy as raw material.
Some 5% of the UK’s carbon emissions arise fromnew construction and there is an urgent need toretrofit existing homes. Construction applicationsof hemp have been proven over twenty years andnow need investment to scale up and fulfill theirpotential to decarbonise construction, displacing
or sequestering over 0.5 mt CO2 whilst adding
over £200m to the UK economy by 2031.

TextilesHemp, with its strong but biodegradable fibre, is well
positioned to replace plastics in non-woven products
such as wipes. New technology to cottonise hemp
fibre will open markets in woven textiles, avoiding
the social and environmental drawbacks of cotton.

The excellent weight and elasticity of hemp fibre
together with a strength comparable to carbon isdriving the use of hemp in the body work of cars.
With some technology development, the windindustry could use hemp fibre in turbine blades
The UK is home to a thriving CBD industry
generating sales worth £700m in 2021;
oil from imported hempseed is alreadywidely used in personal care products
and pharmaceuticals founded in cannabis
have UK markets of £1bn by 2025.

Bioenergy

Whilst a low value application, bioenergy
supplied by pelletted hemp biomass canbe an accessible market that will driveincreased acreage of hemp cultivation whilst
displacing or sequestering CO2 from 2027.

BiofuelHemp offers an opportunity to establish
2G ethanol production in the UK for
use in sustainable aviation fuel.

PROJECTIONS FOR HEMP 2022-31
80,000 ha under hemp in the UK by 2031

1 mt CO2 displaced or sequestered by hemp products by 2031

80

CAPT U R

E

bioenergyof arable land growing industrial hemp

Area (Kha)80,000 ha

construction

60

aviation fuel1m

40

construction

20

Displacement or sequestration of

1m

2022

4

2030

Fibre area

Value of hemp in different markets 2022-31

800

1,000

600

750

400

200

0

See Annex 4 for commentary on projections.

2028

Value (£m)

to the UK economy

2026

Mass of hemp used in different markets 2022-31

Hemp use - Kt

£700 m2024

Seed area

Contributeon farm capturebioenergy capture (BECCS)

0tonnes CO2 pa

tonnes
CO2

500

250

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

2031

0

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

2031

PRIORITIES FOR UK HEMPDevelop hemp varieties for a range of markets
for instance dual purpose food & fibre crops to increase
income for farmers; hempseed oil that is more stable andsuitable for more food industry applications; reduce losses
that arise from retting in the field; optimise levels of various
secondary metabolites including THC and CBD; address
emerging threats of pests and disease. Farmers needreliable access to affordable seed for existing varieties andsources of seed for new varieties as they are developed.

5

Expand the area of land used for hemp cultivation
which is held back by lack of evidence for performanceof hemp under UK conditions, its nutritional needs& effectiveness as a break crop as well as data on its
carbon and biodiversity impacts; crop establishment
also requires optimisation. Key to expansion of hemp asa break crop is streamlining regulation of its cultivation.

Develop supply chains and processes for hemp products
On-farm process development is needed for retting anddecortication to release fibre and for fibre cottonisation
as well as pelletting of biomass for bioenergy and useof biomass in AD & biochar. Lack of reliable carbon
accounting is hindering access to the opportunities offered
by Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs)and Environmental
Land Management Scheme (ELMS). Poor connectivity
between stakeholders leads to small scale supply, value &and innovation chains together with inefficient regulation.

Overview of hemp industries 2022-2031

2022

2025

2028

2031
Farmer benefits

Hemp not optimisedfor UK; seed expensive
and inaccessible

Crop performance,
carbon and biodiversity
unknown

Hemp processing small

Advanced, non-GM
breeding + UK seedproduction anddistribution

Hemp rotations reduce farmer
inputs, increase soil carbon andenhance biodiversity

Pipeline of hemp
varieties for UK
industries
Diversified
income fromhemp
cultivation

regulation

6

Net zero progress

UK field trials
for crop yields,
biodiversity andCO capture

Increased yields;
rotation lowers
inputs; access to
ELMS and VCMs

increased
supply of raw
materials

Codesigned RD&D
for food, fibre,
construction andbiofuelCapture of value
before farm gate;cheaper moresustainable
processes

increased
demand forhemp rawmaterials
Low cost,
sustainable
processes

Supply, value andinnovation chains

ELMS, carbon credits and on-farmprocessing increase farm income

Communicationand networking
campaign to connect
stakeholders

Better regulation,joined up supply
chains, rapid
innovation

CO is captured in construction
and biochar products
GHGs from aviation and energy
displaced
Meat in human diet displacedby hemp products

Health benefits
Better insulated,
healthier buildings
Healthy oils and grains
for better diet

Economic benefits
High value manufacture ofsustainable food, chemicals andmaterials adds value andcreates good jobs across the UK

Timeline for hemp cultivation and use
2022

Barriers

2024

2025

2026

2027

Priority 1: Develop hemp varieties for a range of markets

 Need for dual purpose food & fibre variety

 WP 2: UK-bred varieties with seed oil
suitable for broad food industry applications
registered Losses from poor retting, establishment &seed scatter THC, CBD & 2°ry metabolites not optimised
 Emerging threats of pests & disease Insecure seed supply with reliance on
imported seed
 No hemp seed multiplication in the UK WP3: Establish hemp seed production in UK Certified seed from UK-bred varieties withnovel seed oil profiles available to farmers

 UK-bred seed available to farmers for new
varieties with enhancements in key traits

 Availability within UK of varieties withbest traits for UK growers & end users

 More varieties suited to UK become partof the program to multiply seed in UK

Priority 2: Expand the area of land used for hemp cultivation

 Crop establishment not optimised
 Carbon sequestration & biodiversity effects
under UK conditions not characterised,
limiting access to ELMS support andvoluntary carbon markets

2031

 Varieties with new seed oil profiles registered

Low acreage

 Inefficient regulation inhibits hemp
cultivation

2030

 Building on York’s existing advanced genetics
platform, develop hemp germplasm withvariation in genes controlling key traits(disease resistance, dual purpose crop,
retting, THC/CBD, seed oil & protein) No route to market for new varieties bred in
the UK Evidence is lacking for performance of hemp
under UK conditions, its nutritional needs &effectiveness as a break crop2029

 Registration trials for varieties withenhancements in key traits (eg dual
purpose, disease resistant, Zero-THC&/or high CBD, ease of retting) Multiply seed for UK-bred variety with oil
suitable for new uses in food industry

 Hemp lines with variation in key traits
identified; initial trials to pick best
performers to take forward to registration

 Improve seed supply of existing varieties
with best traits for UK growers

 Hemp is a niche crop, unfamiliar to many
farmers & limited information available onagronomy2028

Hemp30 Phase 2 activity

Varieties
 Seed oil unsuitable for many food industry
applications

7

2023

 WP4: Field trial existing varieties in UK Characterise hemp as abreak crop for cereals
 WP8 Collaborate widely to disseminate
results; engage with regulators to improve
regulation

 WP5: Evaluate novel seed andplant treatments to maximise
yield and minimise inputs
 WP4&7 Characterise soil carbon
sequestration and biodiversity
effects of hemp

 Variety selection and agronomy
guidance is available to growers
 Mainstream farmers adopt
hemp as a break crop

 Widespread optimised cultivationof hemp for a range of food, feed,materials and energy markets

 Experience of growers increases
yield of seed and biomass

 New agronomic methods increase
yields and decrease inputs.
 Evidence base for biodiversity and carbon
sequestration offers new sources on
income to growers from VCM & ELMS

 Increased yields, optimised inputs
and VCM or ELMS income enhance
returns to farmers whilst enabling
soil carbon and biodiversity gains

Timeline for hemp cultivation and use (cont...)2022

Barriers
Supply chains Retting inefficient and unreliable Decortication to separate fibre and fibre
cottonisation suboptimal.
 Pelleting of biomass & its use in AD andbiochar require optimisation

2023

2024

 Supply, value & and innovation chains arelacking / small scale Inefficient regulation inhibits hemp
cultivation and processing Poor connectivity between stakeholders
 Seed is expensive and difficult to obtain Low international awareness of UK expertisein hemp technology
 Perception of industrial hemp as marijuana

8

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

2031

Hemp30 Phase 2 activity
Priority 3: Develop supply chains and processes for hemp products WP6 Collaborative research, development
and demonstration to deliver new
processes for retting and on-farmdecortication, fibre cottonisation, use in AD,
biochar and on farm pelleting of biomass

 New regional on-farm processing
hubs scale up hemp supply.

 Technology and knowledge for processing
hemp on farm is being exported world-wide Capture of value before the farm gatedelivering new sources of income
and carbon savings for farmers

 Farms are well integrated into supply chainsand capture value with multiple end-markets

 Use of innovations later in supply chain
delivers more sustainable products WP7 Develop evidence base for use ofhemp in VCMs and ELMS and guidanceon best practice to maximise carbon
 Evidence base lacking for carbon &sequestration and biodiversity impacts
biodiversity impacts of hemp in UK, hinderingof hemp on farm and in products
access to ELMS and VCMs
 Environmental, economic and social impactsof hemp not understood2025

 Evidence base allows agreement on
criteria for sustainability reportingin hemp products and businesscase releases investment

 WP8 Works as an “honest broker”
connecting stakeholders (regulators,
investors, growers, end users) to initiate andstrengthen hemp supply and innovation
chains, collaborating with stakeholders
to co-design and disseminate research,connecting with regulators, supporting
farmers in seed buying co-operatives,promoting UK hemp internationally & raisingawareness with large scale end-users.

 Income from VCMs and ELMS improves
price competitiveness of hemp inconstruction & other markets
 Agreed sustainability criteria accelerate
adoption of the best innovations
 Investment is released in sustainable
processing creating value and jobs
 Policy makers and regulators use analysis
for better policy and regulation
 Industrial hemp trade association established Industrial hemp ‘normalised’ asa UK crop and in products
 Improved connectivity & knowledge
sharing enables supply chains, investment,
accelerated innovation before and after thefarm gate and regulation that is responsive
to the needs of different sectors

 Demand for UK hemp products drives up
value through the whole supply chain.
 Reputation of UK hemp products forreliable sustainability claims increases
demand in export markets
 Improved soil carbon, biodiversity
and carbon negative products
accelerate UK progress to net zero
 Good jobs in the net zero economy
 Vibrant hemp ecosystem with establishedsupply and value chains responsive to market
demand in the UK and internationally;
rapid innovation arising from excellent
knowledge sharing; policy makers andregulators support sustainable developmentof the hemp-based industries

ACTIVITIES TO
DEVELOP UK HEMPWP1 PROJECT MANAGEMENTManagement team to include all delivery partners
and advisory board reflecting primary producers andend users, existing and potential.

Priority 1 – New variety development
WP2 HEMP BREEDING PROGRAMME Development of varieties adapted to UK
conditions with characteristics needed by end
users. In the first instance this will build on the
York advanced breeding platform to develop
varieties of hemp with desirable characteristics intheir seed oil. Longer term targets will include a
range of additional industrial hemp traits such as
disease resistance, retting time, seed scattering,and secondary metabolite profile. This WP willtake target traits from idea through to field trials
and registration of new varieties.

WP3 SEED MULTIPLICATION
 Key to successful deployment of new varieties istimely, reliable and resilient bulking of seed.

9

Priority 2 – Expand area of land used
for hemp cultivation

Priority 3 – Develop supply chainsand processes for hemp products

WP4 HEMP CROP CHARACTERISATIONPROGRAMMEWP6 HEMP PROCESSING INNOVATIONPROGRAMME Field trials of existing varieties under
UK conditions

 Evaluation of before the farm gate innovation
opportunities including decortication, fibre
cottonisation technology, use of on farmanaerobic digestion, biochar production and on
farm pelleting of biomass.

 Characterisation of hemp as a break crop
for cereals.

WP5 HEMP YIELD MAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME Evaluation of the use of novel seed and plant
treatments to maximise biomass and specificplant components such as fibre, seed, shiv andleaf quantities.
 Characterisation of carbon sequestration aboveand below ground and biodiversity effects ofhemp.

WP7 ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND
SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT Analysis of the sustainability (economic,
environmental and social) of products andprocesses that rely on hemp as a raw material eg
for construction, textiles, biofuels. This WP will
include establishing hemp and its products forcarbon credits.

WP8 SUPPLY CHAIN DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME
 This will focus on building supply, value andinnovation chains for hemp through connecting
end users with the primary producers andresearch providers.

Breakdown of actor roles
Stakeholder

Role

Phase 2 project participants

Defra

Farming support policy, ELMS support for hemp

Hemp processing development / Stakeholder
engagement / Project Management

Home Office

Regulation & licensing of hemp cultivation and processing

Lucid Insight Ltd

Stakeholder Engagement

BEIS

Use of hemp to reduce GHG emissions & grow the economy

Kepier & Company Limited

Commercialisation

K J Voase & Son

Hemp Growing Trials

UKRI

Funding innovation in use of hemp

Seff Fibre Limited

Fibre Production

UK Hempcrete Ltd

Construction Materials Production

Azotic Technologies Ltd

Yield Development

Elsoms Seeds Limited

Seed Production

Stockbridge Technology Centre Limited

Growth Trials

University of NottinghamLife Cycle Analysis

Tatham Limited

Processing Equipment Design

Simpson (York) Limited

Construction Industry

NNFCC Ltd

Biomass Feedstock Trends and Bio-based
Product Development Advice

Game and Wildlife Conservation Trading

Biodiversity surveying

University of York

Project Lead, Plant Breeding, Field Trial Studies

The Biorenewables Development Centre Ltd

Phase 2 Industrial Advisory Group

10

Stakeholders beyond phase 2

Promotion of UK hemp industries to export markets
Farmers

Cultivation and on-farm processing of hemp; use todecarbonise agriculture

Investors

Funding scale up of hemp industries and use in VCMs

RD&D community

Development and demonstration of hemp technology

Construction industry

Use of hemp to decarbonise & construct healthy buildings

Bioenergy industries

Use of hemp to make sustainable energy

Aviation

Using hemp biofuels to deliver sustainable aviation fuels

Personal care industries

Use of hemp products in personal and wellbeing products

Food industry

Use of hemp oils and protein in healthy low carbon food

DRAX Group

Bioenergy

NFU

UK Farmers

IndiNatureHemp-based insulation

Rowett Institute

Nutrition and Human Health

NestleFood and Drink

Animal feed

Integration of hemp into pet food, aquaculture & farm animal diets

Industrial participants from Hemp-30
Phase 2 project

Textiles / Construction / Seed production /New Variety Development / Bioenergy

Textile industry

Integration of hemp into woven and non-wovens to replace
plastics and cotton

Industrial hemp by 2030: industry vision
Industrial hemp by 2030: industry vision
Growth trials
Growth trials

Plant breeding
Plant breeding

Scale up
Scale up

BiogasBiogasHemp biochar as aConstruction
Construction
Hemp building

productsareHemp building
predicted
to have a
products arevalueof>£200mpredicted to haveandadisplace
1.3m tonnes
value of >£200m
andof CO2. 1.3m tonnes
displaceco-feedstock
Hemp biocharfor
as aanaerobic
digestion
co-feedstockfor
canhelp farms
anaerobic
digestionachievezero andcan helpnet
farms
earn
extra
income.
achieve net zero andof CO2.

earn extra income.

Innovative processing
Innovative processing

Biofuels
Biofuels toOpportunities

Automotive
Automotive
The weight and elasticity
offibre
together
Thehempweightandelasticity
witha strengthof hempfibre together
comparable
to carbon iswith a strength
drivingtheuseof hempcomparable to carbon
isin the body
work
cars.
driving
the useofof
hemp

establish
2G ethanol
Opportunities
toproduction
the UK
establish 2Ginethanolfor
use in sustainableproductionin the UK
aviationfor use infuel.
sustainableaviation fuel.

Increase products on the market
Increase products on the market

in the body work of cars.

Bioenergy
Bioenergy
Pelleted
hemp biomass will drive

Oils and ProteinsOils andProteins
Novelfood products
using hemp

TextilesTextilesNew technology to cottonise hemp fibre will

CBD and Medicines
CBD
andMedicines
Oilfrom
importedhempseed is already widely usedwhilst displacing 200 kt CO2 from 2027.

range of high carbon food products.

social and environmental drawbacks of cotton.

UK market is estimated to be worth £1bn by 2025.

increasedacreageof hemp
Pelleted hemp
biomass
will cultivation
drive
whilstdisplacing
200
kt
CO2cultivationfrom 2027.
increased acreage of hemp

11

proteins
andproducts
oils are displacingaNovel foodusing hemp
range
of
high
carbonfood
products.
proteins and oils are displacing a

openmarkets in woven
textiles,avoidingthe
New technology
to cottonise
hemp
fibre willsocialandenvironmental
drawbacks
ofcotton.
open markets in woven textiles, avoiding theincare products
andispharmaceuticals,theOilpersonalfrom imported
hempseedalready widely usedUK
marketisestimated
to
be
worth
£1bn
by
2025.
in personal care products and pharmaceuticals, theAnnex 1:
Priority 1 – New variety roadmap
Date seed from HEMP-30 breeding
programme available to farmers

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

2031

Seed oil profile
Varieties with no THC and/or
high CBD available
Range of disease resistant seed andfibre varieties available
Rettability
Seed scattering
HOH in Finola background

12

HGLA in Finola Background

HOH in new background suitable for evolving UK markets

Other novel oilseed profiles

Priority 1 – New variety roadmap
Trait

Present day

2024

2028

2031

 UK hemp certified seed production
established Better understanding of theperformance of a range of varieties
under UK growing conditions
 New backgrounds suitable for breedingfor UK conditions identified
 Germplasm with variation in genes
controlling key traits available

 Additional UK-bred varieties which
perform better around a range of key
traits undergoing registration trials
 New traits being introgressed into a
range of hemp backgrounds suitable forcultivation in the UK UK-bred varieties which
perform better on a range of
key traits available for farmers
to grow in the UK

Germplasm Finola widely cultivated seed variety, suitable for UK; shortlife cycle and height UK bred high oleic variety approved for UK National Listingin 2021, and gaining traction internationally for its utility inthe food industry
 No UK commercial hemp seed production
 Limited understanding of performance of hemp varieties
under UK conditions
 Hemp populations with increased genetic variation being
developed for trait improvement using established fasttrack breeding pipeline Hemp oil profile attractive but unstable and unsuitable foruse in many food industry applications
 High Oleic Hemp (HOH) registered and ready for bulking
 High GLA variety ready to enter registration trials

 HOH seed bulked and ready to be High GLA certified seed bulked andcultivated by UK farmers for use in theready to be cultivated by UK farmers for
UK food industry
use in personal care & food industries
 High GLA variety registered and ready for  Seed available for farmers for HOH trait
bulkingin different hemp backgrounds
 Germplasm with novel oil profiles
available for development as the market
demands
 Introgression of HOH trait into otherdesirable hemp varietal backgrounds inprogress Seed for hemp varieties witha range of seed oils suitable
for a different dietary andprocessing requirements

 Evidence for disease problems (Sclerotina and downy
mildew) emerging in Canada
 Genes for broad spectrum disease resistance known

 Lines altered in disease susceptibility
genes characterised
 Laboratory assays for disease resistancein progress Row trials starting Seed for disease resistantvarieties available Genes controlling CBD and THC well understood.
 Entourage effects poorly understood but focus of research Track record at York in manipulating biochemicals in rangeof species
 Levels of THC and CBD not ideal for use of industrial hemp
in a range of markets

 Zero THC and high CBD lines identified Zero-THC &/or high CBD varieties
undergoing registration field trials
 Research starts to uncover effects ofhemp metabolites beyond CBD and THC

 THC-free seed and fibre
varieties available Some genes affecting rettability characterised

 Lines altered in genes controlling
rettability characterised and assessment
initiated

 Easy retting varieties undergoingregistration field trials

 Easy retting varieties on themarket Inconsistent maturation leads to loss of seed in soil andthrough bird attack
 Some genes known to control seed loss known in otherspecies Lines altered in candidate genes
controlling seed scatter identified
 Assessment of lines initiated Reduced seed scatter trait introduced
into elite varieties

 Reduced seed scatter trait
available to the market in elite
variety backgroundOil profile

Diseaseresistance

Secondary
metabolite
profileRettability

Seedscattering
13

 Disease resistant varieties undergoingregistration field trials

Timeline for introgression of novel trait into a new variety-9
Establishment of M2 hemp population withvariation in key target genes
Screening and crossing for lesions in target
genes
Four generations of crossing between
variant and (new) parental backgroundRow trials of promising hemp lines
Small scale bulking of seed for use in fieldtrialsField trials benchmarked against parental
varieties
Distinctiveness, Uniformity & Stability (DUS)
field trials for UK variety registration
Value Cultivation and Use (VCU) field trials
for UK National Listing
Bulking of seed for use by farmers
Seed enters market

14

-8

-7

-6

-5

-4

-3

-2

-1

0

Annex 2:
Priority 2 - Roadmap hemp cultivation
Parameter

Hemp cultivation

Present day

2024

2028

2031

 800 ha under cultivation

 5,000 ha under cultivation

 30,000 ha under cultivation

 80,000 ha under cultivation

 Niche crop grown at a small scale byinnovative enthusiasts

 Some farmers are adopting hemp as abreak crop

 New dual purpose varieties and better
fibre varieties enter the market

 Hemp is seen widely as a viable
alternative to OSR as a break crop

 A few mainstream farmers testing
hemp on a limited acreage

 More mainstream farmers testing hemp  Hemp is widely grown by forward
on a larger acreage
looking farmers as a break crop Cultivation is still mainly to-contract but
spot markets for hemp are emerging

 Seed is difficult to get hold of, almost
all imported and expensive New varieties with different seed
oil expand markets for hemp seedproducts

 Up to half UK growers are buying UK
sources of certified seed

 Majority of UK growers are buying UK
sources of certified seed

 Experience with hemp cultivation
increases yields of both seed andbiomass

 Increased yields and optimised inputs
enhance returns to farmers whilst
maintaining soil carbon and biodiversity

 Risk of development of disease andpest problems are mitigated throughdiversified rotations, breeding andmonitoring New varieties with UK adapted traits
eg maturity, yield, establishment, pest/disease resistance start to become
available Growers can access UK sources ofcertified seed & best practice for hemp
cultivation
 Nutritional requirements for UK
conditions not characterised

Crop performance Performance as break crop poorly
understood Varietal performance under UK
conditions poorly understood No UK adapted varieties available Carbon sequestration under UK
conditions not characterised Potential in soil carbon enhancement
not well understood

Carbon performance Multi-site field trials provide evidencebase for performance and nutritional
requirements of several hemp varieties
under UK conditions
 Trials demonstrate effectiveness ofhemp as a break crop in rotations of
cereals New agronomic methods eg seedcoating, decrease inputs and increase
yields Trials have demonstrated performanceof hemp in sequestering CO2 bothabove and below ground ELMS and Voluntary Carbon Markets(VCM) view hemp as an element indecarbonisation strategies
 Farmers testing technology for hemp
in anaerobic digestion, bioenergy andbiochar15

 Widespread use of hemp cultivationand hemp products in VCMs increases
markets for hemp and reduces theircost ELMS supports hemp as a means to
mitigate agricultural emissions andimprove soil health All farmers can access biomass
processing facilities for shiv and/or
fibre markets, leading to long term
sequestration in products

 Hemp is a key contributor todecarbonisation of UK agriculturePriority 2 - Roadmap hemp cultivation (cont...)Parameter

Harvesting

Present day

2024

2028

2031

 Harvesting machinery available
but requires optimisation and skills
development

 Several standardised robust fibre andstalk harvesters become available

 Widespread availability of robust
harvesting machinery Farmers collaborate/contract-out tosource specialist equipment locally Easy-retting varieties become available

 Novel harvesting options are emerging
eg that allow harvest of seed and fibre,
reducing costs and losses

 Novel efficient retting options aredeveloped, which are tailored forspecific end uses

 Specialist hemp harvesting contractors
are established Retting inefficient and unreliable Seed processing facilities (drying andpressing) not easily available

 Novel retting options are in use

 New varieties with limited seed scatterbecome available reducing losses andincreasing yields

 Easy-retting varieties are trialled Information on variety performance is
not widely available

Communication

 Connections between hemp growers
and end users ad hoc and insecure Growing network of hemp users
contract directly with growers

 Vibrant networks connect growers totheir end markets

 Licensing administration has transferred  Home Office and DEFRA maintainto Defra and streamlining prevents
regular contact with growers anddelaysprocessors to ensure effective oversightthat is responsive to industry needs
 Review of THC limit is undertaken anddecision made on whether to change
the limit16

 Up-to-date information on varieties and  UK is seen internationally as a key
best agronomic practice is available tosource of agronomic innovation andgrowers
best practice for hemp cultivation

 UK seed is widely available Growers can easily find out what
 Growing international connections
specifications are required by buyers forenhance markets for hemp growers
different applications
 Regulatory regime is slow, expensive
and not aligned with growers needs

Regulation

 Results from field trials widely
disseminated and partnerships
established with key trade, networking
and levy boards

 The market supports an effective
network supporting hemp growers

Annex 3:
Priority 3 – Roadmap for hemp industries

SectorPresent day

2024

2028

2031

 Raw materials mainly imported

 Facilities for processing hemp
seed available The stable hemp oils produced fromnew UK varieties are in widespread use
in food manufacturing High value hemp oils with novel fatty
acid profiles designed for different
dietary requirements are entering
the market

 Excellent science base for
optimisation of seed oil

Food, beverage, pet
and animal feed

 Connections between primary
producers and end users are poor
 Seed oil profile attractive but
unsuitable for some food industry
applications

 Speciality markets for hemp oil
have expanded Mainstream food manufacturinginitiates use of the stable hemp oils
produced from new varieties bred andgrown in the UK Protein from hemp meal starts to beincorporated into vegan meat and be
used in mainstream food & beverage Residual meal used as desirable
ingredient in pet, animal & fish feed

 Hemp construction products areproven and demand market is huge
but investment needed for scale up UK is a global leader in hemp
construction but risks losing this firstmover advantage

Construction

 Awareness is low amongst
mainstream companies andconsumers UK manufacturing is small scale andproducts are expensive because
carbon and other benefits are notaccounted for Artificially inflated prices of imported
hemp construction products & postbrexit supply chain problems17

 UK hemp oil is in demandinternationally because of its quality,
provenance and sustainability
 Protein from hemp meal is widely usedin vegan meat and as an ingredientby mainstream food & beverage
manufacturers
 Residual meal displaces soy & animal
protein as high quality ingredient in pet,animal & fish feed

 One large construction company has
 Large scale processing of hemp
taken on hemp products as a means tofor construction in place; potential
reduce the emissions from construction
integration with production of aviationfuel and speciality chemicals
 Widespread workforce training in
hemp-based construction established Hemp insulation and hemcrete
are widely used across the Architects further engaged in specifying
construction industry andhemp products in their designs
benefit from carbon credits
 Investors engaged to develop scale
processing of hemp for UK construction,
lowering costs

 Export markets for UK hemp oil are wellestablished and growing
 Novel food products using hemp
proteins and oils are displacing a rangeof high carbon foodstuffs
 Hemp seed residues command highprices in animal feed sectors

 Range of novel, carbon negativebuilding products that use hemp are on
the market
 UK has built on its leading position
to become the go-to place for expertiseand innovation in hemp-based
construction
 Innovation, economies of scale,integration with production ofmaterials, chemicals and fuels together
with carbon credits make hempbased construction low cost and highperformancePriority 3 – Roadmap for hemp industries (cont...)SectorTextilesPresent day

2024

2028

2031

 Most hemp textile grade fibre isimported and expensive Technology for cottonisation of fibre
from UK-grown hemp commercialised Low awareness of advantages ofhemp vs cotton & synthetics

 Hemp starts to replace plastics in nonwoven products eg wipes

 Technology for production of highquality, sustainable textile fibre
established in the UK and being
exported Improved varieties and technology
development make fibre cheaper andimprove quality

 Innovation is needed for adoption ofhemp into mainstream products UK woven and non-woven companies
and designers engaged.

 Sustainable textile brands founded on
UK hemp are establishing Connections with UK automotive

 Fibre from UK-grown hemp being
incorporated into UK-manufactured
automotive panels

 Fibre from UK hemp widely used in UK
automotive manufacturing

manufacturing absent
Composites forPotential in wind turbines
automotive and windappreciated but innovation neededenergyto overcome technical barriersSpeciality chemicals

 Collaboration on development ofhemp fibre in high performancecomposites for a range of applications

 No UK production of CBD becauseof regulatory hurdles; international
competitors ahead in technology andcommercialisation

 More appropriate regulation of hemp
allows processing of leaves and flowers
and establishment of industries using
hemp 2°ry metabolites

 CBD markets overheated and volatile CBD products being manufactured
from UK-grown hemp

 Excellent science base in plantbiochemicals able to optimisebalance of metabolites

Bioenergy

Carbon credits18 Hemp varieties with zero THC simplify
regulatory status of hemp speciality
chemicals Light weight, strong hemp-based
biorenewable composites contributeto efficient, low impact aviation,
automotive and wind energy industries

 Thriving high value UK industry basedon hemp secondary metabolites
exporting products worldwide

 New products on the market fromhemp metabolites based on CBD andother molecules

 Characterisation of the effects of new
hemp 2°ry metabolites

 Better understanding of the effects ofmulti-component pharmaceuticals
increases demand for whole hemp
products and products with defined
profiles Innovation needed to allow use of
biomass in on-farm AD

 Hemp biomass in use as a feedstock
for on farm AD

 Supply chains and investment absent
in the UK for hemp-based aviation
fuels Collaboration to demonstrate hemp as
an aviation fuel feedstock Commercial production of hemp
aviation fuel started, potentiallyintegrated with manufacture ofconstruction materials and speciality
chemicals Commercial production of hemp
aviation fuel established, supply
chains integrated with manufacture ofconstruction materials, bioenergy andspeciality chemicals

 Small scale briquette manufacturefrom hemp dust for domestic heating
fuel On farm or regional facilities for large
scale manufacturing of pellets for heatand power generation that are alignedwith bioenergy sustainability criteria

 Hemp for bioenergy production has
stable markets with ongoing monitoringof sustainability, acting as an “insurance
policy” for use of hemp biomass

 Stable UK bioenergy markets suppliedby sustainably produced hemp raw
materials

 Evidence base inadequate for useof hemp products in carbon credit
markets

 Carbon credits on construction
products and biochar from UK-grown
hemp available on well regulated andrespected platforms

 Further expansion of the carbon credit
market for construction and biochar

 Steady markets for carbon credits fromconstruction and biochar products Reputation of UK hemp based carbon
credits drives demand by companies
aiming for net zero by 2030

 Novel composites and building materials
benefitting from carbon credits.

 UK is second largest market for CBD
in the world

Biofuel Commercialisation of hemp fibre inhigh performance composites forautomotive and other sectors

 UK hemp brands known internationallyPriority 3 – Roadmap for hemp industries (cont...)SectorPresent day

2024

2028

2031

Cross cutting support from the Hemp 30 innovation programme that catalyses product development and growth
Hemp on-farmprocessing
innovation
programme

Supply, value &and innovation chain
development

 Hemp30 WP5 supports RD&D todeliver new process for on-farmdecortication & fibre cottonisation,use in AD, biochar, on farm pelletingof biomass

 Innovation programme enables
capture of value before the farm gatedelivering new sources of income andcarbon savings

 Hemp processing and use on farm isan established part of the agricultural
economy delivering value and carbon
savings

 Innovations are used further up
the hemp supply chain to deliver
sustainable products

 Ongoing innovation, knowledge sharing Hemp30 WP7 communication
programme connects end users
with primary producers, research
providers & policy makers to initiate
and strengthen hemp supply chains Connections established between
primary producers and the end users in
different sectors enabling integration of
supply chains and investment in large
scale facilities

 Hemp supply and value chains are
established and responsive to market
demand in the UK and internationally New connections established between
researchers and policy makers withthe hemp supply chains accelerating
innovation

 Regulation that is responsive to theneeds of different sectors

 rapid innovation arising from excellent
knowledge sharing Technology and knowledge forprocessing hemp on farm is being
exported world-wide Farms are well integrated into supply
chains and capture value Vibrant hemp ecosystem wherebusinesses are aware of thecomplementary or competing interests
in adjacent sectors, researchers areaccessible and engaged in hemp
product development, policy makers
and regulators are aware and support
sustainable development of the hempbased industries

 Industrial hemp trade association
established and servicing a wide range
of industries and primary producers

Environmental,
economic and social
impact assessment

 Hemp30 WP8 provides evidencebase for use of hemp for carbon
credits and sustainability in food, fueland material markets

 Markets in carbon credits, food,construction, energy, materials andfuel use the sound evidence base to
guide their product development andmarketing Policy makers and regulators use thesocial environmental and economic
analysis to make better policy andregulation
 Uses of hemp for applications that are
not sustainable are avoided

19

 UK hemp products have an excellent
reputation for reliable sustainability
claims, which increases demand for UK
products in export markets
 Criteria for sustainability reporting inhemp products are agreed
 UK perceived internationally as the
go-to place for understanding ofsustainability in hemp supply chains Demand for UK hemp products drives
up value from hemp to farmers,
manufacturers and the UK more widely.
 Innovations are rapidly assessed
according agreed criteria for thesustainability impact accelerating
adoption of those that have a positive
impactAnnex 4:
Commentary on projections
1.

Area under cultivation of hemp

3. Yield – seed

250ha of seed crop being grown, accounting for >30%of the estimated 800ha hemp cultivated currently.
Interviews suggest plans 1,000 ha for seed in 2022with licenses for 3* this area







2024 Increase *4 as HEMP30 field trial results comeout, availability of seed increases and the High Oleic
Acid variety becomes commercial available

2025, doubles again to 10 kha as farmers who havedipped their toe in 2024 increase their planting,knowledge on the effects on the soil emerges andmarkets for hemp increase and diversify2026 - 2030 15kha added each year driven byincreasing markets for hemp and carbon markets.





20

2022 stakeholders estimated average retted straw
yield of 5.5t/ha. This is conservative because asubstantial proportion of the biomass is lost during
retting.
2023 -24 added a small yield increase of 0.5t/ha
based on increasing experience of farmers combinedwith better knowledge and evidence from field trials
2025-30 increases of biomass yield of 1t every 3 years,
getting 8t/ha in 2030. This might seem ambitious, butthere are several reports of yield of >15t/ha now. Set
against this, however, I’m estimating that 50% of thecrop is dedicated to oilseed and biomass yield fromthe seed crop will be lower and of lower quality.

Shiv represents 60% of the biomass

2022 - 23: estimate oilseed yield average of 1.5t/ha.
This year growers in the North East of the UK haveachieved 2t/ha so the estimate is conservative

Dust from processing is 10%2024 - 30 assumed yield increases of 0.2/ha
every two years achieving 2.4 t in 2030 through a
combination of improved agricultural practice andnew varieties entering the market

Assumed that 100% of the oilseed is used in foodand feed markets. Note that seed products may also
be used in non-food markets - eg as drying oil or inpersonal care.

7.

Hemp used in bioenergy

4. Area cultivated fibre vs oilseed %6. Hemp used in food, feed and personal care2021 30% of 800ha is cultivated for oilseed2022 - Lukie’s interviews suggest 1,000 ha hemp
planned for 2022 will be harvested for oil.

2022-23 assumed that just the dust is used inbioenergy ie 15% of the biomass available

2024-27 50% of available biomass is used forbioenergy because this is a readily available market
which requires little technical innovation to satisfy2028 - 31 this reduces to 25% of the available biomass
as higher value applications become available. Notethat the total amount of biomass used in bioenergy
continues to rise gently, it is only the that % reduces

2. Yield – biomass








2023 This increases to 50% as markets for hemp foodand feed products increase sharply - for instance,
if good hemp sourced their seed from the UK, thatwould create an instantaneous market. And new HOA
oilseed variety is available for farmers
2025 onwards, 50% of the are under hemp is
cultivated for oil with the residual biomass being used
for lower value applications such as biochar, biogas,
bioenergy and biofuel
50% of the area cultivated is fibre crop used inconstruction textiles and composites

5. Yield of oil, protein, fibre and shiv

Seed - assume 30% of the dry weight is oil, 30%
protein, 30% carbohydrate, 10% insoluble fibre-

Fibre represents 25% of the dry weight of biomass(estimates in the literature vary and this is aconservative estimate)

8. Hemp used to manufacture bioethanol to be
used in aviation fuelThis does not start until 2027 when a small amountis used for demonstration purposes. This rises to25-30% from 2029 as a small biorefinery becomes
operational. This is based on the beta renewables
plant in crescentino, Northern Italy, which produced
40,000 t ethanol from 200,000 t biomass (mainly
grass). You would expect a hemp based biorefinery to
produce more ethanol per ton because it is richer incellulose and hemi-cellulose and lower in lignin. Notethat the plant will produce a range of byproducts biogas, bioenergy and CO2.

9.

Hemp in used in constructionInsulation and hempcrete are being manufactured
at a small scale already. Based on industry estimates,
40% of the hemp that is grown is going into
construction and will continue to do so until 2023.
From 2024 the absolute mass of hemp used inconstruction will grow steadily but it will drop as aproportion of the biomass available. This is because
bioenergy, which will have shorter lead times for
deployment, will take up a large proportion of thebiomass that is available from 2024. Construction will
pick up to remain steady at around 30% of biomass
from 2025 onwards



It was estimated that 20% of the hemp that is usedin construction is insulation batts/boards and 80%
is hempcrete - this is because around 25% of thebiomass is bast fibre and 60% shiv. The fibre will haveother higher value uses, at least in the long term.
Commercial figures, were used to calculate themass of hemp needed to deliver the current
insulation requirements.

10. Hemp used on farmEstimate that about half of the hemp biomass thatis produced in 2021 is used on farm, mainly foranimal bedding.

This % drops until 2025 (but the absolute tonnage
grows gently), where it stabilises at 20% of the crop.

Three main uses for hemp on farm are envisaged
from 2025 - anaerobic digestion (AD) (35%) animal
bedding (30%) and conversion to biochar for carbon
markets and soil improvement(35%).

11. Hemp used in textiles


21

Estimate that it will take five years to fullycommercialise cottonised yarn production fromhemp so production will start in 2027. Yield of yarn islikely to be low but the residues can be used for otherpurposes. Therefore the % of biomass used in yarn isquite low growing from 0.5% in 2027 to 2.5% in 2031.

12. Hemp used in high performance compositesUse of hemp in high performance composites
requires innovation which will take time. A similar
growth trajectory and amount used as for textiles has
been projected.

15. Displacement and sequestration of CO2


The basis of these calculations is very simple andneeds the attention of a proper carbon accountant inPhase 2

For displacement, the carbon footprint of the hemp product is
subtracted from the carbon footprint of the existingproduct for a given functional unit (eg an amountof energy or a square metre of insulation). Whereno figures are available for hemp, a similar material
is used as a proxy eg flax for hemp insulation.
The mass of hemp used for that functional unit isworked out and the CO2 saved through use of thehemp product rather than the competing productcalculated.

13. Hemp used in wellbeing products

Based on FSA and industry data on quantities andnumbers of people using CBD, UK consumption has
been estimated at approx 150t pa

Using CBD as a typical wellbeing product assume regulation allows processing of UK
grown hemp in 2024 it takes three years to ramp up production tothis level

14. Calculations of value of products indifferent markets
The price of products from hemp were estimatedfrom interviews and prices advertised on the internet
eg spot market prices and value calculated from themass of hemp used in each market.



Where a product is made entirely from hemp - eg
seed oil, the whole value of the product has beenused. Where the product contains only a percentageof hemp, the value was multiplied by the % ofhemp in the product on a mass basis eg hempcrete,
is approx 30% hemp by weight so the value of
hempcrete was multiplied by 0.3

Where products sequester CO2, eg building markets,an extra £100 was added for each ton of hemp usedfrom 2025 onwards.

For sequestration
 1 ton Biomass typically contains 0.4 t carbon and1 ton carbon represents 4 ton CO2 so each ton of
biomass sequesters approximately 1.6 ton CO2
 The mass of hemp that is used in the building
product is multiplied by 1.6 to give the tons of CO2that are sequestered Note that this does not take account of GHGs thatare emitted during cultivation and processing of
the hemp

Abbreviations

22

AD

anaerobic digestion

CBD

cannabidiol

ELMS

Environmental Land Management Scheme

GHG

Greenhous Gas Emission

GLA

gamma linlolenic acid

HOH

High Oleic Acid Hemp

THC

Tetrahydrocannabinol

VCM

Voluntary carbon market

Annex 2 Hemp Breeding Strategies

Figure 1 Experimental workﬂow for development of new hemp varie9es
Candidate gene selec7on for trait
improvement

Genera7on of an in-silico
catalogue of 2000 Gammaradiated hemp genomes

In-silico screening for muta7ons in candidate genes
Molecular genetic confirmation of mutation in plants

Phenotypic analysis for predicted trait improvement

Backcrossing and breeding into elite germplasm

Field trailing and plant variety registration

Figure 2 Plan for UK plant variety registra9on and na9onal lis9ng of the High GLA hemp variety
Create a unique breeders’ reference and seek approval from APHA forvariety name

Using the online system UPOV PRISMA, complete
and submit 2 applica7ons in tandem
Apply for UK plant breeders’ rights*

Apply for UK national listing*Complete and upload a maintaina plant variety form

Seed to be sent for 2 years of concurrent Dis7nc7veness,
Uniformity and Stability (DUS)* tes7ng and Value, Cul7va7onand Use (VCU) trials*
APHA publish the decision on whether to accept
the variety in the monthly Seeds GazeSe*Fees payable at this point

Figure 3 Successful muta1on breeding of industrial hemp: seed oil fa9y acid composi1on
1. Biosynthesis of the diﬀerent types of fa1y acids present in the seed ofcommercial variety Finola involves desaturase (des) enzymes.

2. MutaMon breeding uses

chemicals or radiaMon to randomly
alter the DNA of thousands of plants

3. Genomics-led Predictive Breeding methods can identify
mutations in candidate genes

FinolaFinola4. Mutation of a single Δ12 des gene results in accumulationof oleic acid to 80% total fatty acids in seed oil - the genetic
basis of the new UK registered variety CNAP1HOH variety

5. Other novel seed oil traits have been developed for

Palmitic
Stearic

High oleic acid –high oleic acid
CNAP1HOH

oleic acid

Oleic
Linoleic

High linoleic acid/high linoleic
acid
low a-linolenicacidaa-Linolenic
gg-Linolenic

linoleic acid

Stearidonic
new 18:2

industry by targeMng Δ15 des and Δ12 des genes

new 18:2

High g-linolenic
acidhigh g-linolenic

g-linolenic acidacid

Novel seed oil trait
0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

WP1 PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Monthly Management Team Meetings
WP1

UoY/BDC

Quarterly Project Team Meetings

ALL

Industrial Advisory Group Meetings - twice each year

NNFCC

Quarterly Project Reports to BEIS SICE TeamUoY/BDC

BEIS Stage Gate Reviews - twice each year

UoY/BDCWP2 INDUSTRIAL HEMP BREEDING PROGRAMMEWP2Priority 1 - Hemp
variety breeding
and seedmultiplication

Generation of Gamma-radiated M2 (GRM) Industrial Hemp Population

UoY

Candidate gene selection

UoY

Generate in-silico low-coverage genome catalogue of 2,000 M2 individuals

UoY

Genomics-led Predictive Mutation Breeding: target 1: cannabinoid content

UoY

Phenotyping, backcrossing and breeding for target 1: cannabinoid content

UoY

Genomics-led Predictive Mutation Breeding: target 2: Biomass yield and retting

UoY

Phenotyping, backcrossing and breeding for target 2: Biomass yield and retting

UoY

Variety Registration and National Listing of High (8%) GLA hemp variety

UoY

WP3 SEED MULTIPLICATION
WP3

3x Polytunnel based certified seed multiplication of CNAP1HOH at ESL

ESLGermination, storage and molecular marker based quality assurance assays

ESL

WP4 HEMP CROP CHARACTERISATION PROGRAMME
Field Trials over 3 year ramping up from 2 to 5 to 10 locations
Farmer/Grower Pre-Commercial Demonstrator trials
Crop Rotation Experimental Field Trial
WP4

Priority 2 - Hemp
cropcharacterisationand hemp yield
maximasition

Agri-environmental analysis - soil carbon and microbial composition

ESL
ESL/STC/KJV/UoY
UoY/STC
UoY

ESL relevant Biodiversity analysis

GWCT

Soil Impact Analysis - contextual data gathering

UoY/LIL

Soil Impact Analysis - surveys and data analysis

UoY/LIL

Biodiversity surveys and analysis

GWCT/KJV

Final survey analysis

GWCT/KJVWP5 HEMP YIELD MAXIMISATION PROGRAMME
Inoculate hemp cultivators with G.diazotophicus and assess colonisation, localisation and distribution
Inoculate hemp cultivars and assess effect of treatments in growth cabinets
Replicate small-plot testing - evaluater yield and quality of biomass and seeds
Grower trials at recommended application rates
WP5

Field Study Preparation
Field Studies and Analysis
Harvesting Equipment - review of current market
Harvesting Equipment - showcasing
Harvesting Equipment - on farm evaluation

ATL/BDC
ATL/BDC
ATL/BDC
ATL/BDCESL/STC/UoY
ESL/STC/UoY
BDC/LIL/KJV
BDC/LIL/KJV
BDC/LIL/KJV

WP6 HEMP PROCESSING INNOVATION PROGRAMME
BDC warehouse space set up for hemp processing activities
Textile processing evaluation - identify and locate equipment to evaluate
WP6

Priority 3 - Develop
supply chains andprocesses for hemp
products, EES
assessment andsupply chain
processdevelopment

BDC/SYL/UoY
BDC/SFL/TEL/KJV

Textile processing evaluation - hemp processing evaluation and showcasing to stakeholders

BDC/SFL/TEL/KJV

Construction processing evaluation - identify materials and processing equipment

BDC/HCL/SYL/KJV

Construction processing evaluation - materials preparation and showcasing to stakeholders

BDC/HCL/SYL/KJV

Bioenergy processing evaluation - set up of additional AD and hemp preprocessing facilities

BDC/UoN/KJV

Bioenergy processing evaluation - carry out hemp based bioenergy trials for AD, pellets, fermentation and biochar

BDC/UoN/KJV

Economic, Environmental and Social assessment of hemp processing innovations

UoN/LIL/KCL/KJV

WP7 ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
WP7

Report on preliminary hemp cultivation and end products LCA
Update report with available project data on hemp cultivation and end products LCA
Update report with available project data on hemp cultivation and end products LCA

UoN/LIL/KCL
UoN/LIL/KCL
UoN/LIL/KCL

WP8 SUPPLY CHAIN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMEWP8Create communication strategy, project website and initial dissemination materials

BDC

Programme of Hemp Special Interest Group events held every 6 months

ALL PARTNERS

Project Participant and Code
UoY

University of York - Project lead

BDC

Biorenewables Developmenct Centre - Project main contact

ATL

Azotic Technologies Limited

ESL

Elsoms Seeds Ltd

HCL

Hempcrete Ltd

KCL

Keiper & Co. Ltd

KJV

K J Voase & Sons

LIL

Lucid Insights Ltd

NNFCC

BDC

Programme of Hemp Special Interest Group events held every 6 months

National Non-Food Crops Centre

SFL

Seff Fibre Ltd

SYL

Simpson York Ltd

STC

Stockbridge Technology Centre

TEL

Tatham Engineering Ltd

UoN

University of Nottingham

GWCT

Game and Wildlife Conservation TrustJun-22

Jul-22Aug-22

Sep-22Oct-22

Nov-22

Dec-22

Jan-23

Feb-23Mar-23Apr-23May-23Jun-23

Jul-23Aug-23

Sep-23Oct-23

Nov-23

Dec-23Jan-24Feb-24Mar-24Apr-24May-24Jun-24

Jul-24Aug-24

Sep-24Oct-24

Nov-24

Dec-24Jan-25

Feb-25Mar-25PROJECT PARTICIPANTS

May-22PROJECT ACTIVITIES

3-Year Plan

Apr-22Annex 3 Hemp-30 Phase 2

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

BEIS Project Plan Tables

Annex 4 Hemp-30 Phase 2 PROJECT - Milestones and Deliverables
Project Workpackage Table
Workpackage Workpackage Name
ID

1

2

3

4

5

Project Management

Industrial Hemp Breeding
Programme

Seed Multiplication

Project Partner Lead

UoY/BDC/ALL

UoY

ESL

Hemp Crop Characterisation
ESL/UoY/STC/GWCT/LIL/NVS
Programme

Hemp Yield Maximisation
Programme

ATL/BDC/ESL/STC/UoY/NVS

6

Hemp Processing Innovation
BDC/SYL/UoY/SFL/TEL/NVS/UoN/LIL/KCL
Programme

7

Environmental, Economic
and Social Impact
Programme

8Supply Chain Development
Programme

UoN/LIL/KCL

BDC/ALL PARTNERS

Description (inc. Key tasks)

Hemp30 Project Management
The HEMP-30 project will be managed through a series of monthly Management
Team meetings involving UoY and BDC senior staff involved directly with the project.
Project management will also involve quarterly project team meetings involving
representatives from all 15 project participants. The Industrial Advisory Group willmeet twice yearly. BEIS Stage Gate Reviews will take place twice each year andquarterly project reports will be submited to BEIS SICE Team.

Industrial Hemp Breeding Programme
Generation of Gamma-radiated M2 (GRM) Industrial Hemp Population
Candidate gene selection
Generate in-silico low coverage genome catalogue of 2,000 M2 individuals
Genomics-led Predictive Mutation Breeding: target 1: cannabinoid content
Genetics and phenotyping for Target 1 heritability and trait imporvement
Genomics-led Predictive Mutation Breeding: target 2: Biomass yield and retting
Genetics and phenotyping for target 2: heritability and trait improvement
Variety registration and National Listing of High (8%) GLA hemp variety

Seed Multiplication
3x Polytunnel based certified seed multiplication of CNAP1HOH at ESL
Germination, storage and molecular marker based quality assurance assays

Hemp Crop Characterisation Programme
Field Trials over 3 year ramping up from 2 to 5 to 10 locations
Farmer/Grower Pre-Commercial Demonstrator trials
Crop Rotation Experimental Field Trial
Agri-environmental analysis - soil carbon and microbial composition
ESL relevant Biodiversity analysis
Soil Impact Analysis - contextual data gathering
Soil Impact Analysis - surveys and data analysis
Biodiversity surveys and analysis
Final survey analysis

Hemp Yield Maximisation Programme
Inoculate hemp cultivators with G.diazotophicus and assess colonisation, localisationand distribution
Inoculate hemp cultivars and access effect of treatments in growth cabinets
Replicate small-plot testing - evaluate yield and quality of biomass and seeds
Grower trials at recommended application rates
Field Study Preparation
Field Studies and Analysis
Harvesting Equipment - review of current market
Harvesting Equipment - showcasing
Harvesting Equipment - on farm evaluation

BDC warehouse space set up for hemp processing activities
Textile processing evaluation - identify and locate equipment to evaluate
Textile processing evaluation - hemp processing evaluation and showcasing tostakeholders
Construction processing evaluation - identify materials and processing equipment
Construction processing evaluation - materials preparation and showcasing tostakeholders
Bioenergy processing evaluation - set up of additional AD and hemp preprocessing
facilities
Bioenergy processing evaluation - carry out hemp based bioenergy trials for AD,
pellets, fermentation and biochar
Economic, Environmental and Social assessment of hemp processing innovations

Report on preliminary hemp cultivation and end products LCA
Update report with available project data on hemp cultivation and end products LCA
Update report with available project data on hemp cultivation and end products LCA

Create communication strategy, project website and initial dissemination materials
Programme of Hemp Special Interest Group events held every 6 months
Programme of Hemp Special Interest Group events held every 6 months£ Cost exc VAT (sum of alldeliverables forselected workpackage fromdeliverables table)

Project ID(Internal Use
Only)Project Deliverables Table
Workpackage ID

Deliverable ID (for example workpackage Deliverable Name
ID followed by a letter: 1A,1B,1C, 2A, 3A, 3B)£ Cost (exc VAT)

£ Cost (incVAT)

Baseline Due Date
dd/mm/yyyy

Duration (in days of Evidence Required (evidence required to support an invoiceactivity)

submission for this deliverable)

31/03/2023

365

31/03/2024

365

31/03/2025

365

Gamma-readiated M2 population generation

Hemp-30 Management Team meetings
Hemp-30 Project Team meetings
Hemp-30 Management Team meetings
Hemp-30 Project Team meetings
Hemp-30 Management Team meetings
Hemp-30 Project Team meetings
Generation of Gamma-radiated M2 (GRM) Industrial Hemp Population

31/10/2022

210

Minutes of HEMP-30 Management Team meetings
Minutes of Project Team meetings
Minutes of HEMP-30 Management Team meetings
Minutes of Project Team meetings
Minutes of HEMP-30 Management Team meetings
Minutes of Project Team meetings
Gamma-readiated M2 population

Candidate gene selection

Genes to target during breeding programme identified

31/12/2022

270

Database of candidate genes createdM2 plant catalogue

Generate in-silico low coverage genome catalogue of 2,000 M2 individuals

31/03/2023

180

Database of cataloguedM2 plamts

Breeding population for cannabinoid content

Genetics and phenotype of cannabinoid content population established31/12/2024

630

Cannabinoid content breeding population

Breeding population for plant cell wall properties Genetics and phenotype of plant cell wall properties population established31/03/2025

630

Plant cell wall breeding population

Variety registration and National Listing of High(8%) GLA hemp variety

High GLA hemp varieties listed

28/02/2025

900

Successful listing of high GLA varieties

Certified seed multiplication

2022 certified seed multiplication

31/10/2022

180

Certified seed collection generated

Certified seed multiplication

2023 certified seed multiplication

31/10/2023

180

Certified seed collection generated

Certified seed multiplication

2024 certified seed multiplication

31/10/2024

180

Certified seed collection generated

3.4

Germination, storage and molecular marker
based quality assurance assays

2022 Germination, storage and molecular marker based quality assurance assays

31/12/2022

60

Assay database generated from 2022 analysis

3.5

Germination, storage and molecular marker
based quality assurance assays

2023 Germination, storage and molecular marker based quality assurance assays

31/12/2023

60

Assay database generated from 2023 analysis

Germination, storage and molecular marker
based quality assurance assays
Field Trials

2024 Germination, storage and molecular marker based quality assurance assays

31/12/2024

60

Assay database generated from 2024 analysis

2022 field trials at specific UK locations

31/10/2022

180

Database of information from 2022 field trail study

Field Trials

2023 field trials at specific UK locations

31/10/2023

180

Database of information from 2023 field trail study

Field Trials

2024 field trials at specific UK locations

31/10/2024

180

Database of information from 2024 field trail study

Biodiversity and soil impact study

2022 biodiversity and soil impact investigantions

31/12/2022

270

Biodiversity and soil impact study

2023 biodiversity and soil impact investigantions

01/01/2023

270

1

1.1

1

1.2

1

1.3

2

2.1

2

2.2

2

2.3

2

2.4

2

2.5

2

2.6

3

3.1

3

3.2

3

3.3

3

Description (inc. outputs)

Hemp-30 Project Management
Hemp-30 Project Management
Hemp-30 Project Management

3

3.6

4

4.1

4

4.2

4

4.3

4

4.4

4

4.5

4

4.6

Biodiversity and soil impact study

2024 biodiversity and soil impact investigantions

02/01/2023

270

5

5.1

Bacterial treatment of hemp

Bacterial treatment of hemp - innoculation and growth cabinet testing

30/04/2023

390

5

5.2

Small scale plot testing with ATL technology

Replicate small-plot testing - evaluate yield and quality of biomass and seeds

30/04/2024

360

5

5.3

Grower trials with ATL technology

Grower trials at recommended application rates

31/03/2024

360

5

5.4

Field study preparation and testing2022 field study preparation and testing

30/11/2022

240

Database of information from 2022 biodiversity/soil
study trail study
Database of information from 2023 biodiversity/soil
study trail study
Database of information from 2024 biodiversity/soil
study trail study
Dataset of performance of hemp following bacterial
treatment
Dataset of performance of hemp following bacterial
treatment
Dataset of performance of hemp following bacterial
treatment
Database of information from 2022 field trail study

5

5.5

Field study preparation and testing2023 field study preparation and testing

01/12/2022

270

Database of information from 2023 field trail study

5

5.6

Field study preparation and testing2024 field study preparation and testing

02/12/2022

270

Database of information from 2024 field trail study

5

5.7

2022 Haverting equipment review, evaluation and showcasing

31/12/2022

120

Report on hemp harvesting 2022

55.82023 Haverting equipment review, evaluation and showcasing

01/01/2023

120

Report on hemp harvesting 2023

55.92024 Haverting equipment review, evaluation and showcasing

02/01/2023

120

Report on hemp harvesting 2024

6

6.1

Haverting equipment review, evaluation andshowcasing
Haverting equipment review, evaluation andshowcasing
Haverting equipment review, evaluation andshowcasing
Hemp texiles process innovation programme

Hemp textiles processing - evaluation of innovative technology

31/03/2024

1080

6

6.2

Hemp construction process innovation
programme

Hemp construction processing - evaluation of innovative technology

31/03/2024

1080

6

6.3

Hemp bioenergy process innovation programme Hemp bioenergy processing - evaluation of innovative technology

31/03/2024

1080

6

6.4

Economic, environmental and social assessment Detailed LCA and EES analysis of hemp processing for textiles, construction and bioenergy productsof hemp process innovation programme

31/03/2024

1080

7

7.1

Preliminary hemp LCA analysis

Report on preliminary hemp cultivation and end products LCA

31/03/2022

360

7

7.2

LCA report at Yr 2

Update report with available project data on hemp cultivation and end products LCA

31/03/2023

360

7

7.3

LCA report at Yr 3

Update report with available project data on hemp cultivation and end products LCA

31/03/2024

360

Hemp-30 Communication Strategy

Create communication strategy, project website and initial dissemination materials

20/09/2022

180

31/03/2023

180

Hemp-30 Communication Strategy document
2 Hemp-SIG events

31/03/2022

180

3 Hemp-SIG events

8

8.1

8

8.2

8

8.3

Hemp Special Interest Group events
Hemp Special Interest Group events

Programme of Hemp Special Interest Group events held every 6 months 2023
Programme of Hemp Special Interest Group events held every 6 months 2024

Report on textiles hemp processing
Report on construction hemp processing
Report on bioenergy hemp processing
LCA and EES assessment on hemp processingg
reportPreliminary LCA report on hemp cultivation andproducts
Y2 LCA report on hemp cultivation and products
Y3 LCA report on hemp cultivation and products

Payment Milestone Schedule

Payment
Milestone ID
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40

Invoice Due Date
dd/mm/yyyy

Planned Deliverables (Pleaseprovide the deliverable ID here. Usea comma seprated list if there are
multiple entries)

31/03/2023
31/03/2024
31/03/2025
31/10/2022
31/12/2022
31/03/2023
31/12/2024
31/03/2025
31/12/2024
31/10/2022
31/10/2023
31/10/2024
31/12/2022
31/12/2023
31/12/2024
31/10/2022
31/10/2023
31/10/2024
31/12/2022
01/01/2023
02/01/2023
30/04/2023
30/04/2024
31/03/2024
30/11/2022
01/12/2022
02/12/2022
31/12/2022
01/01/2023
02/01/2023
31/03/2024
31/03/2024
31/03/2024
31/03/2024
31/03/2022
31/03/2023
31/03/2024
20/09/2022
31/03/2023
31/03/2022

1.1
1.2
1.3
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
7.1
7.2
7.3
8.1
8.2
8.3

Invoice Amount (exc VAT)VALUES TO BE AGREED WITH
BEIS DURING CONTRACTING

Hemp-30 Phase 2 Project Management and GovernanceAnnex 5

UNIVERSITY OF YORKFINANCE AND CONTRACTING TEAMS

Hemp-30 Industrial
Advisory GroupBEIS
Hemp-30 Management GroupUoY and BDC
Meets Monthly

Monthly
Monitoring
Meetings
Quarterly Reports
Six-monthly stagegate reviews

REPORTING

Meets 6-monthly

ADVICE
Hemp-30 Project Opera@ons GroupAll 15 project par@cipants
Meets Quarterly

Hemp-30 ConsorCum

Drax Group
NFU
NestleRoweB InsCtute
IndiNature
UK HempHemp-30 Industry
Subcontractors

Annex 6

Hemp-30 Phase 2 Risk Register

Risk(Identify and describe all key project risks,
including: financial, technology, supply chain,regulatory, etc)

Overall risk rating:(Probability x Impact)
High, Medium or Low

Mitigation actions(Describe the actions taken or planned responses to reduce theimpact and/or probability of the risk)

Covid associated risks across the project teamincluding the risk of catching and transferring
COVID-19 between, to, or from members of the
project teamMediumThe University of York and the BDC have detailed Covid Risk
Assessments in place which are reviewed regularly in line withgovernment and University of York guidance. UoY and BDC will be
the two principle locations for face to face meetings and excellent
meeting room and workshop spaces are available allowing safe
social distancing as required.

Residual risk rating,after mitigation
applied: (Probability x
Impact)High, Medium or Low
Low

It is anticipated that a significant part of the Phase 2 work involving
stakeholder engagement and partner project meetings will be
carried out using online technology such as Zoom and Teams.
In the event of a return to a complete lock down the Hemp30 Phase
2 project communications will be managed using the now widelyused video call technologies that all project participants havebecome familiar with.
Failure to engage with relevant stakeholders
across the industrial hemp supply chain and thebroader bioeconomy sector in academia, industry
and local and national government

Low

Inability to provide qualified and experienced
staff to deliver the project resulting in delays toproject initiation

Low

The project team is exceptionally well connected with relevant
university, industry and government contacts providing excellent
access to researchers, seed producers, farmers, processors anddownstream hemp-based product companies. In particular, UoY
hosts two of the six Networks in Industrial Biotechnology andBioenergy (HVB and BBNet) which together have well in excess of1000 members. The BDC also hosts the BioVale cluster which has afurther 700 members from across the bioeconomy sector.
All project partners have the staff already in place to deliver thePhase 2 project. This includes expert technical staff at UoY and BDC
and highly experienced business facing employees across the other13 project participants. No recruitment is required for the project
and all of the necessary financial, managerial, reporting andgovernance systems are in place meaning there will be no delay inthe project starting.

Low

Low

Hemp-30 Phase 2 Risk Register
Risk(Identify and describe all key project risks,
including: financial, technology, supply chain,regulatory, etc)

Overall risk rating:(Probability x Impact)
High, Medium or Low

Mitigation actions(Describe the actions taken or planned responses to reduce theimpact and/or probability of the risk)

Financial difficulties within individual partners
prevent specific aspects of the Phase 2 projectfrom progressing.
Lack of engagement from sub-contractor causing
delays or non-delivery of activities

Low

All project partners are financially secure. In particular, UoY as the
project lead is a large higher education institution with very low riskof financial difficulties during the 3 year project period.
All sub-contractors have confirmed their commitment to Phase 2 inwriting through a Letter of Commitment. The Project Management
Group are experienced in delivering projects with multiple partners
and are already engaged with all the sub-contractors through otheractivities and projects.

Project is not well managed leading to limited
impact and poor financial control

Low

A highly experienced Project Management Group and Project
Delivery Group is already in place to ensure good practise will befollowed in term of all aspects of project management.

Low

Project schedule is not clearly defined orunderstood causing delays in delivering proposed
activities
Technology strategies to develop new hemp seedvarieties fails

Low

Low

Delays in obtaining a licence to grow industrial
hemp at the BDC facilities which would limit theopportunities to demonstrate before the farm
gate innovation opportunities
Change to the regulatory policy on hemp
prevents the project developing as planned

Medium

A detailed project plan has been discussed and agreed with all
project participants and will be reviewed regularly to reflect the
project progress
A highly experienced team is already in place within UoY to deliver
the hemp breading programme with a strong track record inbreeding new plant varieties including industrial hemp. A strong
partnership has also been established with Elsoms Seeds tofacilitate certified seed production and bulking up.
BDC is working closely with the Home Office to agree the details ofa hemp growing and processing licence. UoY, STC and ESL all have
hemp licences in place allowing activities to switch to anotherproject organisation if licencing for BDC is delayed.
The UK government as a whole has commissioned the TIGGR reportthat recommends reducing hemp regulatory requirements. It istherefore very unlikely that any change in policy will increase thestringency of hemp farming, processing and product development

Low

Low

MediumResidual risk rating,after mitigation
applied: (Probability x
Impact)High, Medium or Low
Low

Low

Low

Low

Low

Annex 7

HEMP-30
Phase I BFI ProjectIndustrial Hemp
Report of Interviewee Insights
28/02/2022
Interviews conducted by the HEMP-30 consortium teamContents:
SourcesNumbers of interviews by type and list of interviewee organisations
Varieties Opportunities Insights regarding hemp breeding, traits and varieties
Cultivation Opportunities Insights regarding agronomy and growing, including licensing
Product Opportunities
Insights regarding hemp products and markets, including carbon credits

Sources: Interviewees
Interviewees by TypeInterviewees by Type
Total Approached:55

Total Interviewed: 44
Interviews by main activity:
Growing 8
Products 14
Associations 6
Government 5
Research 8

20%

19%

12%

34%

15%

NB: several interviewees cross-over between these categories. They have been
categorised according to their main hemp related activity.

Growing

Products

Interviewee Organisations
Key Activity
Association
Association
Association
Association
Association
Association
Government
Government
Government
Government
Government
Growing
Growing
Growing
Growing
Growing
Growing
Growing
Growing
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
Products
ResearchResearchResearchResearchResearchResearchResearchResearch

Organisations
British Hemp Alliance
NFU Combinable Crops
NFU East Anglia
NFU Renewable Energy
Cannabis Trade Association
National Brownfield Forum, Sustainable Remediation Forum
Amanda Lyons, DEFRA Arable TeamRPAAHDBSam Dovey, DEFRA ELMS Team
Harriet Cooper, DEFRA Soil Health Team
Whole Hemp Foods
Ashby Farms Ltd
Hemp North
FWAG
Margent Farm
HempenLawson Farm
Matthew Fletcher, Agronomist
East Yorkshire Hemp Company
British Hemp Company/UK Hemp Ltd
Hemp Block Company
UK Hempcrete
SPG Innovation
Natural Building Systems
Drax
Oscar Cooper
Luke Middleton, The Carbon Farm
Harrison Spinks
Rare Earth Global
Kerfood Oils
TathamUnyte Hemp
Gaia Farms
Yelo
IndiNature
Lynda Deeks, Cranfield University
Lydia Smith, NIAB
Stefano Amaducci, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Piacenza, Italy
Leonardo Gomex, CNAP
Simon McQueen-Mason, CNAP
Neil Bruce, Biology Department, University of York
Phil Longhurst, Cranfield University
Thorunn Helgason, Soil Biologist, York University

Additional Expert Events
Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance Conference, November 2021
BHA Hemp Hub, Carbon Sequestration, November 2021
Clarion Hemp Round Table, October 2021
Architechs Climate Action Network (ACAN) Natural Materials Masterclass – Building with Hemp, December 2021

Associations

Government

Research

Interview Insights: Variety Opportunities
PriorityWork Package

P1: Variety
Opportunities

WP2: HEMP BREEDING Tight THC regulations limit
PROGRAMME
access to varieties

Opportunity/Barrier

Overview
Interviewees highlighted the limited number of varieties that could begrown in the UK due to the 0.2% THC upper limit. In the USA the limit is0.3% which would cover 68 varieties according to one interviewee. Other
countries have a higher limit e.g. Switzerland at 1%.

Additional Quotes"1% would open up many more varieties, even a small %increase would open it up [significantly]""1% THC would really help""A major obstacle is that we don't have UK adapted landrace"

P1: Variety
Opportunities

WP2: HEMP BREEDING Limited access to UK adapted
PROGRAMME
varieties

Traditionally grown UK varieties are not being utilised. It seems these"We need to build british genetics"
have been lost to history, and work is required to develop UK adapted
varieties to maximise yield, optimise for UK climates and reduce potential "Even 1hr extra daylight hour requirement in a variety makes
pest/disease vulnerabilities. 'Farmer friendly British varieties' werea huge difference in the UK"
requested with attributes such as: grow shorter (for seed harvest); growquicker; early maturity; best yield; improved establishment, improved"Henola can achieve up to 2t/ha of seed, but in the UK noretting/decortication.
one reaches that. 1.2t/ha is more realistic""NIAB is trying to identify the varieties not yet listed thatwould be suited to the UK""Breeding is always an ongoing process. Hemp diseases arelikely to increase with increase in crop area. It is susceptible
to many diseases, particularly mildew and root impacting
diseases"

P1: Variety
Opportunities

Limited work on potential pest
WP2: HEMP BREEDING
Potential increases in pest and diseases could occur with increased
and disease issues for UK
PROGRAMME
acreage. This could be mitigated by breeding for resistance.
growers

P1: Variety
Opportunities

Opportunity to develop
WP2: HEMP BREEDING varieties that require less or
PROGRAMME
no retting for fibre/shiv
separation

P1: Variety
Opportunities

Time of flowering and seed maturity is significant in terms of being able
to sow a winter crop subsequent to harvest. Some seed varieties may not "Can do anutumn barley [after hemp crop] but can be
WP2: HEMP BREEDING Harvesting in time for sowing amature until December if sown late. Work could be conducted toproblem if Henola sown late then can be December before it
PROGRAMME
winter crop
optimised varieties for the UK season, particularly frost tolerance tois ready!"
enable earlier sowing, and drought tolerance for later season growing.

Retting is currently a problematic stage in the process of fibre/shiv"We are looking to try out a non-retting variety"separation, and so there is great interest in the potential for varieties that
do not require this stage. There is some work on non-retting varieties of "Farmers are often put off by the risks attached with thehemp, but this is currently very limited, and no adapted varieties are
retting stage, and the potential to lose a whole crop based on
available in the UK.
the vagaries of the weather during baling."

P1: Variety
Opportunities

WP3: HEMP SEEDMULTIPLICATION

Limited access to seedsuppliers

Interviewees highlighted the challenges in sourcing varieties, with many
using the same supplier in France, Hemp-IT. UK Hemp Ltd distributes
Polish varieties to UK growers. Some seed processors are planning on
distributing other imported seed varieties for farmers to grow. Varieties
grown include Henola, Finola, Futura, Ferimon, Fedora 17, USO 31(oilseed/dual) and Futura 75, Felina 32, Bialbrzeskie (fibre).

P1: Variety
Opportunities

WP3: HEMP SEEDMULTIPLICATIONHigh cost of seed

Seed purchase is a significant cost to farmers for this crop

P1: Variety
Opportunities

P1: Variety
Opportunities

An industry representative believes that a hemp seed consortium would
WP3: HEMP SEED
Hemp seed consortium
greatly benefit the UK industry, in terms of building UK supply chain and
MULTIPLICATION
security of supply of seed for growers
UK Hempcrete has used hemp from all over europe and hasn’t seen
Varieties may impact fibre and difference between varieties in terms of quality or impact on building
WP2: HEMP BREEDING
shiv quality, but requirematerials. However it seems this is not fully understood and it could be
PROGRAMME
further investigationthat there are differences that could be harnessed. This would require
further investigation.

"We took guidance from French hempseed supplier, HempIT, that was recommended by another UK farmer""We aim to start distributing seeds of other varieties fromother [non-UK] companies""The seeds were very expensive"Interview Insights: Cultivation Opportunities
PriorityWork Package

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP4: HEMPCHARACTERISATIONPROGRAMME

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP4: HEMPCHARACTERISATIONPROGRAMME

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP4: HEMPCHARACTERISATIONPROGRAMME

Opportunity/Barrier

Overview
Additional Quotes
There is limited data on the available current varieties for growers in the UK. They are
Need for a Varieties Selection often relying on word of mouth from colleagues or advice from suppliers with data
"We need a handbook of which varieties perform and optimised agronomy
Toolfrom outside the UK. A tool to help growers select and know how best to grow varieties guides"
to suit UK conditions would be hugely beneficial.
The interviewees strongly believe there is an environmental benefit of growing hemp.
There are studies from North America and continental Europe to support this view.
Limited UK data on
However, they recognise the need for data to demonstrate these benefits of growing
environmental impact of thehemp in the UK, and to align with with roll out of ELMS programs. This includes carbon
cropsequestration, soil health, biodiversity benefits, lower crop inputs, subsequent crop
benefits etc.
The Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG), along with a consortium of over 40
organisations are exploring land management options that enhance biodiversity and natural
Hemp as an ELMS recommended
capital metrics, providing ecosystem services to be supported by ELMS and private investors e.g.
environmentally beneficial land
via mitigation or credits. Practices such as use of cover crops and herbal leys within arable
management practice within
systems are being recognised for the value they deliver. There is an opportunity for hemp to bearable rotations
recognised in line with these other practices, given the soil, biodiversity and carbon
sequestration benefits that it delivers for farmers.

Interviewees want to measure carbon capture/release. One interviewee mentioned
work by Marcell Valderos, Leeds University on Eddy covariance flux towers to capture
carbon above ground. These carbon flux systems are designed to measure CO2 and CH4
gas exchange between the biosphere and atmosphere. Glyn Mitchel in his Hemp Hub
talk claimed 22t CO2/acr for seed crop. This requires verification. Work which isunderway as part of a Soil Association field lab led by Linda Deeks at Cranfield
University should provide some initial indicative data in this area, but more detailed"We aim to make soil carbon part of a suite of blended finance [for farmers]"
studies are required. In addition, the Soil Carbon Code project (a forum of 46
organisations) is develping standards for carbon markets and deliver ELMS on soils, witha focus on the carbon impact of land management changes, initially looking at
integration of herbal leys into arable rotations. It is feasible that integration of hemp
break crops could be investigated. FWAG SW and Sustainable Soils Alliance are leading
this work.

WP4: HEMPCHARACTERISATIONPROGRAMME

Hemp as a driver of carbon
sequestration in soil

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

There has been a huge increase in contract farming and tenancies.
1990’s ended the Agricultural Holding Act tenancies AHAs, so now there are no more
Hemp as a short cycle biomass multigenerational tenancies. They were replaced with Farm Business Tenancies of up to
crop for tenanted farmers
10-15yr, but in reality lots are on short term, often 2-5yr. This makes perennial crops
unsuitable. 30% of all farmland, including uplands and grasslands is tenanted. Meansthat annual breakcrop for bioenergy could be attractive.

UK Hemp Ltd, under the brand British Hemp, stated operations in 2020, and is now
processing seed from various growers across 240 hectares, and aim to expand that to1000ha in 2022.
Whole Hemp Foods described their journey as "gone from nothing to re-writing thebook on hemp in their business in four years"

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

Growing has been
demonstrated by several
successful players in the last
few years

Nick Voase at East Yorkshire Hemp have industrial scale fibre processing facilities onfarm, delivering products to multiple end-users from construction to bedding totextiles.

Scaling up hemp is "so within our grasp”

Harrison Spinks have 300 acres of hemp and flax to make matresses at their own
factory.

"Harrison Spinks is a real success""Proven the crop at farm level, we have good business models to present"

Adnams' hempcrete distribution centre locked up 100-150t CO2 and saved over 450t
CO2 in conventional materials.
John Barrett has 20 acres under cultivation (2021) in Norfolk and plans to increase to
200 acres in 2022.
Why did you choose to grow hemp? "We are big grower of sugar beet and
OSR. Both are suffering diseases and increasingly restricted use of sprays areallowed"P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

Farmers are turning to hemp due to issues with increasing failure of standard break"Everyone is looking at other crops"
crops, such as oilseed rape (OSR) and sugar beet, due to pests and disease, such as OSR
Major issues around breakflea beetle and nematodes, and sugar beet aphid. Currently hemp in the UK suffers very
"The industry needs more crop rotation options, not just from a businesscrop pests means farmers are low incidence of pests and disease, with some reports of fungal infections in someperspective but an environmental one too."looking for low input, low risk damper conditions. Farmers are also looking for crops that deliver soil health andalternatives and greater
benefits to subsequent crops, which have been reported for hemp. There is also some"All the alternative [break crops] have issues so need as many tools in the box
diversity in rotations
evidence that hemp reduces nematode load in the soil, whereas OSR can increase, andas possible"
be susceptible to, nematodes.
"We see hemp as a good break crop and replacement for OSR"
"Hemp also has nematicidal properties so can potentially be used in rotationas part of an IPM programme."

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

Expert hemp growing service
model

One grower is partnering with landowners to provide a complete hemp cultivation service model(aka contract hemp growing service). This means he can provide all the specialist expertise, skills
and equipment needed for the crop across multiple sites. He has found that he can grow at£500/acre cost inclusive from seed to delivery to buyers. He will share 50% of profit with thefarmer.

Some other break crops are
Peas and beans, as well as linseed can be very variable in yield, again driving farmers tovery unreliable and variable inseek alternatives.
yield
Major issues with blackgrass"[We grew hemp because] we lack options for blackgrass herbicides"
weed combined withregulations on herbicide usage Hemp can help suppress blackgrass growth due to its dense vegetative canopy, and can"We saw the potential of hemp, particularly...the sustainable side of weedmeans farmers are looking for therefore be used as part of a rotation to reduce prevalence in arable systems.
shading, particularly as we have bad blackgrass"other ways to suppress
blackgrass growth

"Wanted dual use variety but deciding was difficult because there is no UK
field data""We have a whatsapp group for farmers to share learnings"

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

Optimisation of growing
systems in UK"Henola can achieve up to 2t/ha of seed, but in the UK no-one reaches that.
Very few farmers have experience of growing hemp, and there is a limited bank of
1.2t/ha is more realistic"
knowledge. Currently farmers are sharing knowledge from connections they are making
or through the few hemp networks e.g. the British Hemp Company grower community. "In reality if you tell farmers to sow at 35kg seed/ha they plant 20-25kg seed
Growers requested baseline data for aspects such as seed rate, inputs, expected yields, /ha, so yield lower and they get weeds growing!" [seed varieties]
soils, to provide a base model to then trial in their context"Lack of clear agronomic advice for UK on varieties, such as for optimal drillingand establishment""Min till was big in the 60s but it didn't work for some so it got a bad name we didn't know enough to do properly. It could be same with hemp if notdone well, but now we know a bit more, able to get it right"

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

Optimisation of fertilizer
inputs required"It is a myth that it doesn’t need fertiliser. 120kgN/ha as general rule [for seed
It is known that hemp generally requires nitrogen inputs to optimise performance.
varieties]" [NB: Finola is higher]
However, there is little data on UK fertilizer requirements for the different varieties
available, and guidance is generally supplied from the country of origin, which may not"Lack of clear agronomic advice for UK on...fertilizer rates"translate to UK growing conditions.

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

Price paid to farmers for
British grown seed is up to 3
times the price paid forimported Chinese seed

Imported Chinese seed can be bought for around £500 per tonne, but some seed
processors are paying up to £1500 for traceable British grown hemp seed of known
origin. Some larger UK hemp oil brands are currently using imported Chinese hemp
seed, whereas other UK brands are selling premium British grown hemp products into
East Asia.
"Hemp diseases are likely to increase with increase in crop area. It issusceptible to many diseases, particularly mildew and root impacting
diseases"

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

Hemp does not currently require pesticide or herbicide inputs in the UK. One
Optimisation of agronomic
interviewee stated that despite extensive growing in Canada they have not seenpractices required to minimise
problems develop. However, other agronomist interviewees stated that this could
the risk of development of
become an issue in the UK, particularly if dropped into conventional limited rotation
hemp pest and disease issues,
diversity or grown as monoculture. Growing hemp as part of a diverse rotation is likely
and thus maintain hemp as a
to limit this, but there is still a risk of problems with pests and diseases, particularly
low input crop
fungal infections to which hemp is prone.

"Mould and blight can be an issue into october""Towards harvest time [the crop] started to show signs of Sclerotinia
sclerotiorum (white mold), but other than this no pesticides or herbicides
were needed""Hemp shouldn't become a monoculture, but part of rotation"

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME"Some signs that cabbage white might like hemp leaves"
The deep rooting nature of hemp lends itself to be an excellent soil health crop, due toOpportunity to use hemp crop potential for soil exudates, root penetration improving infiltration, aggregate
to build soil healthdevelopment. Further work is required to quantify these benefits, but the interviewees "Once it rains the rooting is terrific"
felt strongly that the crop had good attributes and potential for soil health building.
"[The application] took longer than anticipated and we missed the 2020
season"Licenses issued too late for
The timeliness of issuing licenses was highlighted as a key barrier, with several farmers
sowing means farmers lose a reporting missing a season's growth themselves, or colleagues having the same issue,"had to abandon growing in 2020 as the license arrived too late to sow"season's crop
due to licenses being issued too late for sowing a hemp crop

"We failed first time then got it when someone helped us with theapplication""We asked for the HO to help us select suitable fields but were told we just
had to submit for each until the HO approved"
P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

Farmers and stakeholders commented that the guidelines for submitting an application
Farmers do not find thefor a license are not very clear, and cause confusion as to what the criteria are for"Our initial sites were rejected due to being on public access, but [the process
licensing guidelines very clear,
granting or refusing an application. There is a perception that the appraisal andis] not consistent as other farmers have been granted licenses on roadways or
and so high level of rejectedlicensing is not being applied consistently. Restrictions around public access make itrights of way"
applications
particularly challenging in more densly populated regions such as the South East.
"It makes it difficult to find sites in the South East where it is densely
populated - not many field without some access""We ended up [growing hemp] on poorer soil than we would have selected,
so the crop was less productive""Now is the time to present an alternative strategy to improve [the licensing]process but still keep the checks and controls in place""My key recommendation is to transfer licensing to Defra"

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

Several interviewees believed that DEFRA might be more suited to management or
The licensing process could beoverseeing the licensing administration, but with the HO still conducting themade smoother: Home Office
appropriate checks and tests. DEFRA already has systems in place for working withis not joined up with the RPA
farmers which could make the process more streamlined. A suggestion was for a panel
and DEFRA farm systemsof reputable and proven hemp businesses to develop a strategy with government.

"It would be better if issuing and the basics of licenses could be delt with by
Defra, with HO checks""HO reps are asking for postcodes but then not matching sites of [the correct]
fields""I have not heard of problems with theft or public perceptions - we have hada very positive response""[Farmers are] banging heads on licensing where a crop offtake market does
exist but stymied by administration"
Seed varieties: "Conventional machinery can be used but some combines are
more robust than others"

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME"My neighbour grew 30 acres for seed. He didn't find it easy combining."
For seed crops existing machinery can be used, although some will cope better with thefibrous nature, especially those without so many rotating parts, such as straw walkers.
Fibre crop: "We designed and made our own harvester"For fibre crops, modified machinery that cuts the stem at several points of greater
Opportunity for improved 'offlength than a forage harvester, is required for high quality fibre cropping. Forage
the-shelf' harvesting"It took two days to harvest with forage harvester, when a normal crop would
harvesters can also be used if the longer fibres are not required. Small scale producers
machinerytake a couple of hours, due to strong fibres causing problems, wrapping, so
cannot afford specialist machinery, and so some are sharing equipment. As a rule,
we had to unravel it"
harvesting takes much longer, therefore is more costly, than for other crops,
particularly if machinery has not been adapted.
"Some have given up growing hemp because of wrapping issues"
We used a [commercial] adapted header strip seed head, but it broke when
we trialled it."“The risks are the retting time, which could suffer a wet season and reduced
yields and quality, which means farmers are taking all the risk”.

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

Innovation around retting isrequired for consistent fibre
separation

The traditional approach of retting hemp stalks in the field to start the process of
separating the fibres from the inner woody shiv is challenging for farmers. It is weather
dependent, with the retting process requiring moisture for microbial activity, but dry
enough conditions for machinery to work in the field without damage such ascompaction. With less reliable weather patterns this process becomes even more risky.
It also is time consuming, up to 5 weeks, delaying seedbed preparation and sowing ofsubsequent winter crops. Innovations include: microbial acceleration treatments,
ensiling, and physical treatments such as ultrasound. NIAB are working on various onfield and off-field options, demonstrating UK knowledge in this area.
Retted baled hemp straw is bought wholesale at £180 - 200 per tonne, but this wasconsidered to be unattractive to farmers as the sole value from a hemp crop. It wasemphasised that they will want a share in the added value streams, for higher value
products.

"[retting is] best suited to lighter soils, well draining fields""Retting will be ‘learn on the job’""We did not rett as another farmer did and it was a disaster two years running
due to wet weather preventing drying and baling. The current big machinery
cannot cope with the wet conditions""It would help to find treatments to speed retting, like bacterial or fungi tobreakdown the lignin, like in the paper industry""We forage harvested so chopped up and clamped under plastic cover...likesilage."On clamped hemp: "it will ret really well, fibres just come away. Can dry anddecorticate. You can bale and silage it"

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

P2: Cultivation
Opportunities

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

WP5: HEMP YIELDMAXIMISATIONPROGRAMME

There appear to be some descrepancies between reports of biomass yields and it is not "The range I have seen is 8-12t/ha for baled retted stalks"
clear as to the current level of biomass obtainable from the field from differing crops. 8Lack of accurate biomass yield
12t/ha seems reasonable for fibre varieties. It is likely that there is scope to increase"Dry yield of biomass is 30t/ha" [fibre variety]data available
with optimised systems such as around agronomy, variety understanding and UK
adapted breeding.
"10ha henola [seed variety] gave 14t seed plus about 120t stalk"

Phytoremediation to reclaim
contaminated land

It is an attractive crop for phytoremediation due to the long roots, fast growth and highbiomass. This opens the opportunity for utilising non-arable land to produce biomass.
However, there does not seem to have been any UK trials of growing hemp on
contaminated land. [Context: May 2015 UK Government reported: "The legacy of theindustrial revolution is over 400,000 hectares of contaminated land." Twenty-six open
cast coal mines still remained in operation at the end of 2015, and Environment
Analyst’s market data reported contaminated land/remediation consulting in UK worth£244m]"There has been a lot of research undertaken internationally looking at theefficacy of hemp to remediate contaminated soils.""There is significant potential for hemp (low THC fibre, seed or dual-purpose
hemp) grown in typical arable rotations to bio-remediate soil structure andsequester carbon to depth with the soil profile."

Interview Insights: Product Opportunities
Priority

P3: ProductOpportunities

Work Package
WP6: HEMPPROCESSING INNOV.
PROGRAMME

Opportunity/Barrier
Use of whole plant would be
ideal

Overview

WP6: HEMPPROCESSING INNOV.
PROGRAMMEThe UK hemp stalk processing
lags behind France, where
investment has improved quality
and consistency of products

The facilities in France are more advanced in terms of delivering highly consistent, graded "France have put in place big infrastructure and had investment"
shiv products, controling for dust, mould, coloration, particle size distribution and low fibre
content. UK facilities would benefit from improving these aspects to compete against"The classic standard is the french building shiv."
French imported materials, which have had heavy investment. These properties havesignificant performance impacts, such as in spraying and creating composites. UK is lagging "[France has] a £20m processing plant versus the UK £2m processing plant"
behind some other countries in terms of standardising hemp construction materials, suchas in France there is an equivalant to BSI standard for hempcrete.

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Opportunity to develop more Interviewees agree that regional processing facilities are required. Currently theregional fibre/seed processing only significant fibre processing centre is in East Yorkshire Hemp
facilities(https://eastyorkshirehemp.co.uk/) and at Harrison Spinks(https://www.harrisonspinks.co.uk/). Similarly for seed, there are a few regional
facilities such as UK Hemp and Hempen, with others processing their own seed.
Several organisation such as Natural Building Systems(https://naturalbuildingsystems.com/) in East Anglia; Whole Hemp Foods(https://hempwholefoods.co.uk/) in the Midlands, UK Hemp Ltd(https://ukhempltd.co.uk/) in the West, Hempen (https://www.hempen.co.uk/) in
the South and Ashby Farm in the South East are seeking support and collaborative
opportunities to set up regional hubs to cater for both seed processing as well as
shiv/fibre products.

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Interviewees agree that it would be ideal to get a true dual purpose crop, and use thewhole plant. Most seed crop growers are not utilising the stalks currently, apart fromploughing it back into the soil. The lower yield of stalk from a seed crop means that either
more efficient fibre-shiv separation is required, or development for uses for less stringent
quality fibres making it more economical to harvest the stalks. Alternatively, use of whole
stalks after seed harvesting could include biochar, which at least two interviewees are
already producing, or bioenergy.

Additional Quotes
Seed processor: "Our [seed] suppliers are not using the stalk. They are ploughing itback in"“We don’t need another Cargills, farmers want to be part of the value creation
chain, which will ultimately benefit rural economies. Having regional process centres
will support this, farmers will take the risk if they have a share in the value-added
benefits”.
"We need regional hubs of processing facilities that can be shared by growers""We have put in grant application with another local farmer for [fibre] processing
facilities, for Kent and the South East""We are developing a hemp hub for the South for innovation and processing""East Anglia has lots of drying capability... producers need regional [fibre]
processing. ""eHempHouse is an example of a modular $1m system complete processing on-site
container ‘smart box’ from the USA"
Just fibre processing: "We have not invested huge money in machinery at all,because it is actually all very basic simple, just needs to be robust."

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Opportunity to take the leadinternationally and export hemp
consultancy and technologies
globally

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Hemp straw and/or pellets for Several interviewees are exploring pelletising options to supply biomass fed burners. "We’ve pelleted various cultivars of hemp in different stages of moisture/storage
distribution to heat and energy At least one interviewee hemp farmer has a forage drier and pelletising facility on- and run commercial tests that covered the analysis (NCV, fines, ash etc.) of theseplantsfarm. Others are exploring the potential of regional pelletizers or supplying baled
samples. We also have machinery customised and mapped out to pellet hemp in thebiomass directly to straw burner facilities. Interviewees stated that the economics UK."are such that baled straw is only viable to transport on a ~50 mile radius, whereaspelletized material increases this scope significantly due to increased density. One"looking at putting [stalks] through a hammer mill, and extruding in a pelletiser tointerviewee suggested that a yield of 6t/acre would be required to make pelleting
use as biomass for CHP"
economically feasible, and it was highlighted that the cost of baling hemp at all forbioenergy might not stack up given the challenging wrapping and blade blunting"It would be easier to send Heston bales direct to local burners [than pelletising]"
issues of harvesting. It may require a higher price nearer £80/t, than wheat or
miscanthus to justify the costs. Another suggested that at current energy prices"The biomass in hemp briquettes is much better than willow"
growing hemp for pellets 'was not a [economically] sustainable option'. Thereappears to be little work on pelletising hemp in the UK so far, but at least three"We would need £300 /t for pellets to be worthwhile"interviewees are investigating this. One company stated they have off-takeagreements for around 50,000T of pellets with '1st tier companies' and are seeking
to grow in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to generate pellets starting in 2022. They say
they have machinery customised and mapped out to pellet hemp in the UK.

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Hemp is a gateway into
diversified farm businesses,
generating naturalbiorenewable materials

One interviewee noted that hemp can act as an important entry point for farmers todiversify beyond food products, and start to supply natural materials into newmarkets, helping spread the risk and also improve the health of their farms throughincreased diversity, as well as replacing synthetic and petrochemical derived
materials with local natural resources.

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Marketing board

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Co-operative model

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Hemp Brand: Legitimate
Industry Messaging

Several interviewees felt that a dedicated marketing board would be beneficial to"We need a marketing board to sell the case to industry...Germany has increased
bridge the gap with larger end-user markets, enable more communication from end- hemp 900%"
users on their needs and demonstrate the current and future potential of hemp
products.
Some stakeholders expressed a need for a co-operative or similar model in the UK "The French model of co-operatives works really well"industry to pool resources and collaborate at scale.
"It would be a better model to have regional co-operatives"
There is frustration amongst the industry around the continued stigma, feeling that "There is a lot of myth around the potential for industrial hemp to segway into illegal
concerns around industrial hemp providing a route to illegal activities are
CBD, medicinal and recreational uses "overstated. The feeling is that with increased acreage the crop would become
normalised and no longer associated with illegal activites.
"We want to operate completely within the law, not lobbying for changes, notinterested in bioactives side, be totally transparent and build a trusted reputableindustry"

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Lack of trade organisations for There is a lack of co-ordinated effort in terms of organisations to promote UK hemp
hemp products
applications to trade sectors.

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The UK has world class knowledge and expertise in hemp in construction, which has been "Construction and bioenergy will drive increased growth in UK"
active since the Hemcor facility scaled up hempcrete in the 1990s. One interviewee
highlighted that the USA hemp construction industry is at a much earlier stage, due to only "[The USA] could catchup and overtake our market"
recent changes in legislation. Currently UK experts are consulting in the USA and there is arisk that without sufficient investment and development of the crop provision and support
for the materials development then countries such as the USA will utilise UK know-how
and then overtake the UK.

One interviewee thought there was opportunity to co-site hemp fed CHP with on-farmHemp biomass CHP co-sited
with on-farm solar to feed into solar, where there is already infrastructure and a connection into the grid.
grid
On-farm anaerobic digestion One interviewee highlighted that a problem with on-farm AD feedstocks can be an
feedstock to balance C:N ratio overly high nitrogen content e.g. from animal slurry/manures, and therefore a highcarbon feedstock, such as hemp could be useful to balance the ratio.
Fibreglass and rock wool
Some industries need top quality material but others "think they do but probably"Need to do trials to demonstrate [these applications]"
alternatives
don't". Fibreglass and Rockwool replacement may only need rough fibres that canbe just a few inches long rather than very long. Standard forage harvesters produce
fibres around 10-13cm compared to 80 cm lengths for higher quality fibre harvester.

Insulation materials

UK hemp growers are providing fibre for insulation material of various thicknesses.
It is possible to make natural product by using biodegradable PLA as the binder
rather than plastics. A facility in Scotland, IndiNature (https://www.indinature.co/),is developing IndiTherm flexible insulation, UK origin, light weight, hemp fibre
insulation/ thermal envelope products, at
45kg/m3, using a non-plastic bio-based binder. Thermofleece Natrahemp is
25kg/m3 which is similar to typical lightweight insulation, but uses plastic PE binder,
costing £13.98/m2 for 100mm thick. Natural Building Systems' production facility in
Suffolk, for up to 5000 panels per year, will produce modular system thermalenvelopes, render boards, blocks and plaster boards using their patented quick
drying HempSil technology, which uses an alternative binder to lime
(https://naturalbuildingsystems.com/).

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Hygrothermal properties ofHemp is highly hydrophilic structure, like a sponge of pores, so the lime absorbs
hempcrete gives moisturemoisture and this condenses inside the shiv pores, which then releases as the aircontrol and air quality
heats up again and this buffers humidity making a very pleasant environment.
properties
Unusual combination of
Hempcrete combines benefits of thermal mass and insulation. The phase shift is thethermal mass and insulatingtime which energy takes to pass through the envelope of the building - for 200mm
properties of hempcreate gives hempcrete this is 12h, giving a diurnal cycle keeping the temperature very consistentadded benefits above normal in the building day and night
insulating materials
BUT it doesn't meet the industry standard U value, which is based on insulation
properties at 200mm. So even though it performs better in regulating temperatures
than insulation standards you have to build the wall thicker to meet thosestandards.

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Biochar opportunities

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Horticultural matting

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Corrugated card packaging

The British Hemp Alliance mentioned the opportunity for use of hemp stalks as amaterial for corrugated card packaging.

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Layer hen bedding

Opportunity for producing high value bed for hatching hens, which needs to besterile, antimicrobial and antibiotic, which hemp naturally is.

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Horse bedding

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Aviation fuelLarger shiv produced by the East Yorkshire Hemp Company is used as horse bedding.
Due to its antimicrobial properties, high absorbency and low dust, it is ideal forstabled animals.
The future potential for use of hemp in aviation fuel was mentioned by the British
Hemp Alliance, but as a more distant opportunity.

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Hempcrete and other hemp-limecombinations are high inembeded carbon but also offers
unique, and highly benefiticalhygrothermal and insulating
properties across the life of thebuilding

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Biochar is being explored by several interviewees for applications in: soil
"I am working on viability testing"amendments; carbon markets; and conductive ink, which can be used in printed
circuit boards. Biochar represents a significant opportunity for carbon capture and Biochar based soil amendments system: "On my farm I can reduce mineral fertilizers
truly long term sequestration. One interviewee has worked with the BDC on biochar by about 25% which equates to £9000 saving on his 320ha farm (£28/ha)"production under different conditions.
Horticultural matting is being produced by the East Yorkshire Hemp Company, as"I am using Nick Voase's fibre matting for microgreens"well as a company in Essex.

It is recognised that lime has an environmental footprint in its manufacture, but it is a
"There are thousands of hempcrete buildings across the UK"material that can be manufactured from local UK resources and it does confer a hugebenefit across the lifetime of a building. In particular the combination of hemp in the lime "The Science Museum Archive is a hempcrete panel box to store artifacts because it canmatrix give the material a unique balance of thermal mass, vapour openness andregulate the humidity and temperature" [This zero carbon storage building won thehydrophilic properties that delivers a highly stable environment in terms of humidity andGreenBuild Award]
temperature, if constructed correctly. UK Hempcrete have monitored temperatures inhemp builds and found it to be stable at 16-18degC in all weathers without any heating due
to the thermal mass and passive solar gain through windows. In addition, the lime binder
protects the plant material and does not suffer any pests and is fire resistant, and so does
not need any additional chemical treatements. This benefits the air quality and health ofresidents. Various projects are underway to reduce the footprint of lime manufacture, as
outlined in the British Lime's Sustainable Development Report (https://hub4.com/news/british-lime-s-sustainable-development-report-highlights-importance-of-limeto-national-resilience).

The UK has a long and strong
history in hemp construction,
which continues to grow

Lime Technology Ltd and Hemcore were the first to scale hempcrete in the UK using
a licensed binder from France. Today UK Hempcrete and Unyte aim to build 10
regional hemp processing facilities in the UK and Northern Ireland, each utilising up
to 6,000ha of locally grown hemp, and each capturing up to 121,000T CO2
equivalant per year in biomass, and generating a range of products to displace morecarbon intensive products. Hemp build examples include:- William's Den East Riding, Yorkshire hempcret blocks, indoor outdoor activity ctre
wood fiber insulation"UK has had 35 years of use of hemp shiv as a construction aggregate"- Native Architects office S Yorkshire- Wrap around bungalow extension South Milford- Yoga studio Crag vale, internal solid wall insulation- Renewable House Program, Triangle swindon, 40 houses cast on site
- Pringfield Meadow, Oxon, 25 house development with Greencore- University Bradford Sustainable Enterprise Centre is the tallest hemp, cast on sitewith hempcrete- M&S flagship cheshire Oaks

Recent changes are driving low
carbon construction industry inboth public and private sectors

As of 2021 the Construction Playbook now requires public works projects and programmes
to provide a Whole Life Cycle Assessment, and this movement, which has taken place over
several years, has been a key driver for the construction industry to seek low carbon
alternatives. In addition to Brexit making supply chains uncertain, and so increasing interestin locally sourced materials, and more public awareness of the contribution of construction "There has been a perfect storm of the pandemic, brexit, and the build up to COP26 andindustry to carbon emissions, there has been a general trend over the past 4 years towards climate change"
local, low carbon construction opportunities. Hempcrete was said to be one of the mostcarbon negative materials because:"The challenge for industry is to scale up to respond to demand"- Captures more carbon than forests due to speed of growth & conversion- Growing is low input and increases carbon in soil
"We need to get to carbon negative to really make a difference"- Ability of lime to reabsorb carbon whilst drying to negate emissions of manufacture tosome degree
UK is lagging behind some other countries in terms of standardising hemp construction
materials, such as in France there is an equivalant to BSI standard for hempcrete.

Ambitious private investment
schemes underway by several
hemp construction & bioenergy
players

UK Hempcrete and Unyte Bioconstruct have formed a JV to invest £250m to build 10
regional facilities, using hemp from rotations on 5,000ha of land each, over the next 57years. They have a cohort of farmers willing to grow, but licensing is still a major hurdle.
UK Hempcrete has seen "overwhelming demand" since the updated construction Playbook
was published in january. Any public projects over £10m have to supply whole life carbon
assessment. That’s led to all commercial developers and architects looking at whole life
costs. The key now is scaling the supply chain to match demand. UK Hempcrete have a
network of contractors across the country and the JV is now focussed on parnerting withlarger companies to allow construction at scale.
One player suggested that "within 1-2 years we will be at capacity to consume all of East
Yorkshire Hemp fibre, Shiv and flax supplies"
REG plan to scale up to processing 15,000ha by 2026, and claim they have secured £18-20m
recurring revenue contracted with multinational buyers by 2027. They plan in 2023 to set
up processing, including decortication.
IndiNature has attracted £4M+ of investment to set up their premium hemp insulation
products business, at their site in Jedburgh, on the Scottish borders. Once installed theirfibre processing equipment will process 2,600 ha equivalent of fibre (~1.6 tonnes fibres perha), > 4000 tonnes fibre / year for their non-woven Airlay process.

WP6: HEMP
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PROGRAMME"We are in the process of putting in an InnovateUK bid, but it needs a big R&D push"

Hemp modular low cost social Several groups, such as Natural Building Systems, and Oscar Cooper are developing
housing
modular off-site social housing solutions using hemp materials.

BRE and suffolk housing association built some hemp houses and BRE hemp house on theirsite. Total cost of building a hemp house is around £2,000 /m2 which is comparable withother materials. But this ignores the additional insulation benefit. Now scale house builders
are beginning to think about hemp builds for 2025.
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Hemp buildings have been
demonstrated in affordable
housing schemes and incommercial builds

Hemp has cost and healthadvantages over Passivhaus
standards

Opportunity for hemp
construction products tocontribute to retrofitting exstingbuilding stock insulation for
carbon efficiency and fire
protection

In 2017-18 UK Hempcrete saw a huge increase in enquiries from the commercial sector :hospitals, schools.

"In next 10 to 20 years selling a house that you don’t have to heat will be the issue, not justthe price of the house."

Springfield Meadows is a multi award-winning project of 25 Climate Positive homes,
including 9 affordable houses, located in Southmoor, Oxfordshire by Greencore
Construction, awarded One Planet Living Global Leader status, using Biond - an off-sitemanufactured, closed panel timber frame construction, insulated with Lime-Hemp andnatural fibre insulation.

According to some interviewees Passivhaus, which is often used as the low carbon model
for sustainable housing, contains a lot of high tech materials, as well as high embodied
energy/carbon to make it operate efficiently. It creates a sealed system, making air quality
an issue. Also there can be failures in the materials within a relatively short life span. In
hemp based buildings the technology is relatively simple and resilient, and therefore
believed to have a long viable lifespan, and the breathability, natural antimicrobial and fire
resistant properties, and moisture control inherent to the system results in very high air
quality, low chemicals, with low mould and good ventilation.

Hemp based natural building products could play a huge role in retrofitting to
improve carbon efficiency of existing housing stock, using materials that are bothbetter for the environment and the health and wellbeing of residents.
An EU Horizon project, Renofit, including UK partners, plans to develop 3D printed
hempcrete to re-insulate high rise buildings with non-flamable material.

3mm shiv can be used for hemp lime plaster to render the outside of buildings and is 'self
healing'. One interviewee mentioned Ty-Mawr, Wales, who are producing Lime Hemp
Hemp lime plaster: external selfPlaster made from a high calcium lime (also known as a fat/air/putty or nonhealing render

hydraulic lime) blended with the hemp fibres and a pozzolan to aid the set.

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Opportunity for UK
manufactured hemp blocks

Hemp blocks are currently all sourced from outside the UK. Hemp Block Co. imports
from Senini, N Italy. H G Matthews had attempted to make hemp blocks by handbut it was not economically viable at small scale. Currently there is no lime binder
being produced in the UK. The Hemp Block Co. Chesham are experiencing highdemand from architects (x 10) for the supply of hemp and natural fibres for housebuilding. The Hemp Block Co, currently import their hemp blocks from Senini N.
Italy. They supply three forms of hemp building materials: hempcrete blocks,"Biggest carbon [sequestration] gains are in hempcrete"
formed hemp for use in timber and steel framed buildings, and sprayed hemp crete.
Hempcrete is a non-structural building material, with excellent breathability andthermal mass. The Hemp Block Co suggest they are well placed with investment to
set up and operate a hemp block production plant at their site in Chesham. They
would need government or investor support to cover the infrastructure outlay.

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Hempcrete spray offers analternative to hempcrete
blocks, giving a solid surface
with no gaps.

The solid surface offers the benefit of no gaps for water ingress.

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UK fibre processing needs
support to scale up

The removal of the fibre processing aid program set the fibre market back"Removal of the fibre processing aid was a huge problem"
considerably. To scale up its use it needs to be incentivised, whether through enduser net zero targets and 'green materials' incentives or through supporting UK fibre"Lots of people want to grow and process hemp, but need to get end market
processing facilities directly to compete against imported, higher footprint
demand"materials.

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Marine rope applications toeliminate microplastic risk

"Biggest carbon [sequestration] gains are in hempcrete"

There is marine application demand for replacing PP materials, such as ropes, withbiodegradable alternatives, such as hemp, especially with the emerging knowledgeof microplastic pollution.

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Soil Carbon Credits

There was great interest from farmers and researchers in the potential for hemp for
carbon sequestration in the soil. Data is being gathered by Cranfield University, but
further trials are required to establish the level of carbon sequestration. New soil
carbon standards are being developed in the UK. Gentle Farming"We lack data on exudates, but Gentle Farming group working towards it"(https://www.gentle-farming.co.uk/) was mentioned by one interviewee. Also The
Carbon Farm (https://carbonfarm.je/) is specifically working on hemp as a soil
"We need to consider ‘onward crop benefits’ like payment for carbon credits"
carbon credit crop with a carbon credit product due to be launched in 2022, and
FWAG (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group) working on a UK Farm and Soil Codefor 2022.

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Hemp Materials Carbon
Credits

There was general consensus that the biggest carbon benefit from hemp would beachieved through capturing hemp shiv and fibres long-term in construction
materials. Carbon markets are likely to emerge relating to these carbon negative
materials.

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On-farm compost generation

The increasing interest in organic matter in soils means there is likely to be
increasing demand for organic amendments for soils in agriculture. On-farm organic "[Can be used to make] compost especially if you add nitrogen rich farmyard
residues from livestock are often are overly rich in high nitrogen matter and can lack manure"carbon, so mixing with stalks of high carbon hemp makes a perfect combination forhigh quality compost.

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Kerfoot Group import hemp seed oil at volume from several countries, but buy fromonly one UK processor currently. 80% of their hemp seed oil is sold into personalcare in the UK e.g. to Stephenson Personal Care, Boots, Body Shop for example, therest is split between food oil and animal feed/care. Three types of hemp seed oil is
supplied - 1. organic cold pressed (seed imported from NZ, Canada and China for
Opportunties around hemp oilprocessing in EU), 2. Refined (NZ, Canada, China, processed in Netherlands), 3.
in cosmetics, food and feed
Unrefined (NZ, Canada, and one UK location tbc). There are several smaller hemp
seed growers that are pressing themselves, such as Whole Hemp Foods, North
Hemp, and also one larger facility at UK Hemp Ltd that has a capacity of 1000t/year
processing, and aim to process 400 tonnes this year. Seed from china was said to bebought at £500 per tonne whereas UK Hemp pay up to £1500 to their UK growers.

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The WRAP UK sustainable textiles roadmap is working with organisations across theclothing and textiles sector to collaborate on making rapid, science-based progresson climate action. This fits perfectly with the hemp fibre processing innovations
underway, with Harrington Spinks proving the model, and the final pieces being put
in place by other players such as East Yorkshire Hemp
(https://eastyorkshirehemp.co.uk/) and Seff Fibre (http://seff-fibre.com/seff/), to
UK textiles industry could be
develop a fully integrated UK textiles market, including manufacturing the"Seff Fibre has Future Fashion Factory support"
primed for rapid development
processing equipment. This is a clear opportunity for the UK to make a significant
reduction in consumer and industry environmental footprints, but the sector needs
support from government and engagement from the big brands. An example ofindustrial use includes Camira, who have used hemp and wool mix for train seatmaterial and other furnishings(https://www.camirafabrics.com/us/fabrics/contract/hemp).

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P3: ProductOpportunities"Carbon markets will be important to future farming""Loft insulation machinery being investigated in Scotland. They have done carbon
LCA and found carbon negative even with all farming and processing inputs"

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Cecence manufacture the light weight, high performance seat backs used in aircraft
and rail, some made with recycled carbon fibre, blended with hemp fibre. They takethe woven or non woven hemp matting and impregnate it with a bioresin madeManufacture of light weightfrom sugarcane bagasse. They would like to make a bioresin from the sugars in"The main barrier is the lack of suppliers to produce woven and non woven materials
high performance structural
hemp straw, but this needs development trial work. They are exploring with Tatham to the required standard. The handful of natural fibre processers that exist in the UK
components for aerospace and a machine to produce hemp fibre matting. Cecence made the exterior cladding
are not up to the same standard as those in France and Poland". "The other realrail (mass transport sectors), panels for Margent Farm, using a thermo compression former and bioresin (which is barrier is the cost of certification of the hemp fibre materials and resins to meet thealso the corrugated hemp
30% of the overall product). Green Boats is making a fibre glass replacement
standards set by BREEAM. Companies like Kingspan can afford the certification costs,
panels used for exteriormaterials from flax and an epoxy resin used in small sailing boat hulls. They haveso as long as this continues we'll always get the high carbon option that is non
cladding on houses.
also used for the Nascelle casing on wind turbines. They have been awarded an I-UK breathable".
Women in Innovation award to design a natural fibre tray (for aerospace and rail)using hemp fibre. She is part of a network of 10 Women in the sustainable materials
space.

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Opportunity for UK to be thekey decortication and fibre
producing equipment leaders

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A significant market for non-woven hemp fibre could be wet wipes. Tatham(https://www.tatham-uk.com/), Bradford, a leading global non woven equipment
supplier, has seen a steep rise in interest for hemp fibre in the non woven wipes
market, driven by the recent plan to ban plastics in wet wipes. This market is
Opportunity for hemp fibres in searching for biodegradable materials. The Canadian Hemp Association also see thisthe wet wipe market
as a key market for hemp to replace plastics. UK has active non-wovens expertisewith players including John Cotton (https://johncotton.co.uk) in Yorkshire andWarren Non-wovens (https://www.warren-nonwovens.co.uk). The wipe sector falls
between the nonwoven and cotton route as it is necessary to soften the fibres(‘cottonisation’) so they are suitable for wipes.

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Significant higher value forseed than fibre

Currently the seed market delivers significantly higher value and margins than stalkmaterials, but the volumes are lower for seed. It is also harder for growers to access "We are selling seed to processors for around £1000/t (varies). It is much less forfibre"
the fibre markets without local processing facilities due to inefficiencies intransporting the bulky raw material

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Seed meal products forlivestock or pet feed

Hemp seed meal is being fed to livestock directly on-farm by Whole Hemp Foods or"Our protein by product is being fed to our livestock"
being sold as high fibre animal feed e.g. by UK Hemp Ltd

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WP6: HEMPPROCESSING INNOV.
PROGRAMME

Opportunities aroundhydrogenated oil products

Tatham (https://www.tatham-uk.com/) and Wilson Knowles(http://www.wilsonknowlesandsons.co.uk/) manufacture hemp processing
technology and infrastructure equipment, established in the UK. Tatham is the only
UK decorticator equipment provider in the UK and is one of the leading global
suppliers.

Whole Hemp Foods (https://hempwholefoods.co.uk/), is sending seed oil to Sweden
to process it to hydrogenated products for cosmetics and other applications. Thereis an opportunity to develop this hydrogenation processing in the UK, which they
believed is currently absent, to serve soy alternatives markets: e.g. candle wax,
soaps, skin balms. The wax product is also good for many other applications e.g.
waterproofing. This would replace imported soy derivatives.

It is not easy to drop-in hemp
seed into existing OSR oilseed
processing facilities in UK

The lower crop yield (1.5t/ha hemp seed vs >3t/ha rapeseed (OSR)) and lower oil
content of seed (25-30% hemp vs 42% rapeseed) makes the economics of hemp
very different to OSR. OSR does not require dehulling, so this would be an extra
step for any OSR crushing facilities (Cargill in Hull is similar size and also does nothave dehulling facilities). Switching between seed types can be done, but a facility
would need sufficient seed to make it worthwhile, and that would also depend on
the margins etc. OSR rape is also processed at approx. 85degC so not suitable forcurrent hempseed (which is cold press is below 49degC and not heat stable), [Note:the high oleic variety from University of York CNAP may be able to withstand thistemperature]

P3: ProductOpportunities

WP6: HEMPPROCESSING INNOV.
PROGRAMMEDevelopment of hemp milk

Gaias Farming has launched a hemp milk product with £200k investment, using a
mixture of Canadian, French, Chineses and UK seed. The hemp milk process is:- dehulled to get hearts- shred seeds- mix with water and pasteurise- decant and centrifuge to get liquid (milk) and solid (protein) fractions- Combine with oats/other ingredients and ‘bonding agents’: sunflower lecithin,
acidity regulator, salt, plant oils

P3: ProductOpportunities

WP6: HEMPPROCESSING INNOV.
PROGRAMME

Opportunities for plant basedvegan protein

Several interviewees are investigating opportunities around hemp protein for meatalternatives to replace soy. Victory Hemp, UK, has developed V-70™ Hemp Heart
70% Protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids.

P3: ProductOpportunities

WP6: HEMPPROCESSING INNOV.
PROGRAMME

Everyday lifestyle household
The Home of Sustainable Things sells hemp products such as coasters, lamps anditems can be made using hemp
earrings.
fibre

P3: ProductOpportunities

WP6: HEMPPROCESSING INNOV.
PROGRAMME

The issue of British produced
CBD

There are a handful of specially licensed pharmaceutical CBD sites in the UK, thelargest is probably at the British Sugar site in East Anglia. Some interviewees feelthat the ability for UK farmers to produce consumer CBD would make a significant
diffrence to the industry. However, it was noted by expert growers that generally
the process for producing quality CBD crop is very specific, usually involving
propogation of individual plants to extend the growing season to get 2 or 3 crops in
one season, depending on the regional climate, and then harvesting the flower on"It is frustrating because Europe have sorted out CBD production but still tricky inthe stalk, drying upside down inside to concentrate the CBD before extraction
UK"
process. If the crop is not managed optimally then the CBD levels will be significantly
reduced, making it less economical for extraction. Several experts also felt that
"Being able to brand as British would be a bonus"
imported CBD is too cheap for British growers to compete against. However, others
believe that there would be a market for validated premium British branded CBD
products of known provenance and quality. UK Extraction companies include:
Draganfly, farms and extraction facilities in romania then import to UK(https://dragonflycbd.com/) and Setiva, similar but extraction in Poland(https://www.sativagold.co.uk)

Hemp30 Phase 2 Work Packages
Priority 1 - New variety development
WP2 HEMP BREEDING PROGRAMME
Development of varieties adapted to UK conditions with characteristics needed by end
users. In the first instance this will build on the York advanced breeding platform to develop
varieties of hemp with desirable characteristics in their seed oil. Longer term targets will
include a range of additional industrial hemp traits such as disease resistance, retting time,
seed scattering, and secondary metabolite profile. This WP will take target traits from idea
through to field trials and registration of new varieties.
WP3 SEED MULTIPLICATION
Key to successful deployment of new varieties is timely, reliable and resilient bulking ofseed.
Priority 2 Expand area of land used for hemp cultivation
WP4 HEMP CROP CHARACTERISATION PROGRAMME
Field trials of existing varieties under UK conditions
Characterisation of hemp as a break crop for wheat
WP5 HEMP YIELD MAXIMISATION PROGRAMME
Evaluation of the use of novel seed and plant treatments to maximise biomass and specificplant components such as fibre, seed, shiv and leaf quantities. Characterisation of soil
carbon sequestration and biodiversity effects of hemp
Priority 3 New product development and growth
WP6 HEMP PROCESSING INNOVATION PROGRAMME
Evaluation of before the farm gate innovation opportunities including decortication fibre
cottonisation technology, use of on farm anaerobic digestion, biochar production and on
farm pelleting of biomass.
WP7 ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Analysis of the sustainability (economic, environmental and social) of products andprocesses that rely on hemp as a raw material eg for construction, textiles, biofuels. ThisWP will include establishing hemp and its products for carbon credits.
WP8 COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMMEThis will focus on building supply, value and innovation chains for hemp through connecting
end users with the primary producers and research providers.

Annex 8

Forecast increase in planted land area and production output as yield improves

80,000 ha under hemp in the UK by 2031

area (kha)

Fig 1
90.00
80.00
70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
2022

seed area
Fibre area

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

2031

Straw biomass and seed production 2022-2031

Fig 2
800
700
biomass (kt)

600
500

Total seed

400
Total straw
biomass

300
200
100
0
2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

2031

Use of produced hemp

Hemp biomass used in different markets 2022-31

Fig 3
800

Hemp biomass used for bioenergy

Hemp biomass (kt)

700
600

hemp bioethanol used in aviation fuel500

hemp used in construction

400

Hemp biomass on farm (AD, animal
bedding, biochar)

300
200

Hemp used in food, beverages, animal
feed and personal care (oil & protein)100

hemp used in textiles

02022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031

hemp used in high performancecomposites

Forecast sales and sales mix detailFig 4£M sales

1,000.00
800.00600.00400.00200.00
0.00
2026

2027

healthcare

Fig 5composites

textiles2028
food,feed, personal care2029
on farm use

construction2030
biofuelbioenergy

Overall sales £MCaptionHealthcare
Composites
TextilesFood, feed, personal care
On farm use
Construction
BiofuelBioenergy
Total

2026
57.96
0.00
1.28
19.04
4.52
56.88
0.00
9.44
149.112027
107.46
0.73
3.66
32.69
7.75
99.46
0.53
15.52
267.792028
159.88
2.41
12.05
59.26
12.78
157.907.23
21.02
432.532029
190.02
15.61
23.41
83.92
20.68
219.8733.60
19.31
606.41

2030
195.7235.80
43.48
120.0127.11
313.7541.02
22.91
799.79Commercialisation Result

HEMP Sector Performance over five years

Fig 6
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0

1

2

3

4

5

Sales £M

149.11

267.79432.53606.41799.79Opex £M

78.03

137.26225.38325.36442.44

Profit £M

71.08

130.53207.15281.05357.36

Sales £M

Fig 7

Opex £M

Profit £M

Assumptions

Production
Area of land under cultivation grows to
80Kha
Biomass yield increases from 7 to 8 t/ha as
efficiencies are realised
Sales
Sales mix matures from bioenergy / fuelsemphasis to higher value product emphasis
Per-Kg value of sales mix captions increases
only by 3% annual inflation

Opex
Crop establishment, ongoing and harvesting costs based on
known existing similar crop costs
Establishment of trade association during phase II work.
Assumed opex margin per sales mix individually assigned per
caption.
Opex margin stays constant throughout model.
Capex
Capex is based around a £5M investment at the start of phase II
adapt existing plant / facilities.

Annex 9 Hemp-30 Business Model

hemp-30
Business Model

Phase 1 BFI ProjectIndustrial Hemp
10-Year Roadmap
Business ModelUK Hemp Cashflow
Sales
Opex
ResultTax Patent
Tax nonDeprec protection
Cashflow

2022
7.12
5.68
1.44
-0.07
-0.14
0.21
1.4

2023
14.48
11.42
3.06
-0.15
-0.29
0.44
3.1

2024
23.80
19.19
4.61
-0.23
-0.44
0.67
4.6

2025
54.65
42.38
12.27
-0.61
-1.17
1.78
12.3

2026
149.11
86.97
62.15
-3.11
-5.90
9.01
62.1

2027
267.79156.58111.21-5.56-10.56
16.13
111.2

2028
432.53262.91
169.62-8.48-16.11
24.59
169.6

NPV
Capex
Final NPV

1

2

3

4

5

Sal es £M

149.11

267.79432.53606.41799.79Opex £M

86.97

156.58262.91388.69542.13

Profit £M

62.15

111.21

169.62217.72257.66Sal es £M

Opex £M

Profit £M

2030
799.79542.13257.66-12.88-24.4837.36
257.7

Terminal value
7,390.3

UK HEMP Performance over five years
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0

2029
606.41388.69217.72-10.89-20.6831.57
217.7£4,671 M
5 M£4,666 M

UK Hemp Sales
Inflation

healthcarecomposites
textilesfood, feed, personal careon farm use
construction
biofuelbioenergy
Total

3.00%

3.00%

3.00%

3.00%

3.00%

3.00%

3.00%

3.00%

3.00%

1

2
2023
0.00
0.00
0.00
3.14
0.00
10.87
0.00
0.47
14.48

3
2024
1.09
0.00
0.00
5.38
1.82
13.33
0.00
2.16
23.80

4
2025
5.63
0.00
0.47
11.09
2.51
29.49
0.00
5.46
54.65

5
2026
57.96
0.00
1.28
19.04
4.52
56.88
0.00
9.44
149.11

6
2027
107.46
0.73
3.66
32.69
7.75
99.46
0.53
15.52
267.7972028
159.88
2.41
12.05
59.26
12.78
157.907.23
21.02
432.5382029
190.02
15.61
23.41
83.92
20.68
219.8733.60
19.31
606.4192030
195.7235.80
43.48
120.0127.11
313.7541.02
22.91
799.79

2022
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.77
0.00
5.10
0.00
0.25
7.12

UK Hemp Opex
1
K Hectares
Inflation

Year
Establishment (£M)
Ongoing (£M)
Harvest (£M)
healthcarecomposites
textilesfood, feed, personal careon farm use
construction
biofuelbioenergy
Trade Association
Total

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

1.8

3.0
3.00%

5.0
3.00%

10.0
3.00%

15.0
3.00%

25.0
3.00%

40.0
3.00%

55.0
3.00%

70.0
3.00%

1
2022
0.70
1.26
0.31
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.71
0.00
2.55
0.00
0.15
0.25
5.68

2
2023
1.25
2.23
0.54
0.00
0.00
0.00
1.33
0.00
5.77
0.00
0.30

3
2024
2.14
3.83
0.93
0.24
0.00
0.00
2.35
1.00
7.28
0.00
1.42

4
2025
4.41
7.89
1.91
1.27
0.00
0.21
4.99
1.41
16.60
0.00
3.69

5
2026
6.81
12.19
2.96
13.44
0.00
0.59
8.83
2.62
32.97
0.00
6.57

6
2027
11.69
20.93
5.07
25.66
0.44
1.75
15.61
4.63
59.38
0.31
11.12

7
2028
19.26
34.49
8.36
39.33
1.48
5.93
29.15
7.86
97.10
4.45
15.51

8
2029
27.28
48.84
11.84
48.14
9.88
11.86
42.52
13.10
139.26
21.28
14.68

9
2030
35.76
64.03
15.53
51.07
23.36
22.69
62.64
17.68
204.69
26.76
17.93

11.42

19.19

42.38

86.97

156.58262.91388.69542.13

EXPANSION OF CULTIVATION
Area under hemp 2022 - 2031
Unit
kha Total area
kha Fibre area
kha seed areayear

Biomass and seed yield 2022 - 2031
biomass yield/ha
Total straw biomass
seed yield/ha% hemp cultivated for seed production
Total seed

Value at the farm gate
£k/t
£k/t
£m
£m

seed
retted straw or pellets
total value seedtotal value retted straw

80,000 ha under hemp in the UK by
2031

2024
5.00
2.50
2.50

2025
10.00
5.00
5.00

2026
15.00
7.50
7.50

2027
25.00
12.50
12.50

2028
40.00
20.00
20.00

2029
55.00
27.50
27.50

2030
70.00
35.00
35.00

2031
80.00
40.00
40.00

2022
5.5
9.9
1.5
60%
1.62

2023
6
18
1.5
60%
2.7

2024
6
30
1.8
50%
4.5

2025
6
60
1.8
50%
9

2026
7
105
2
50%
15

2027
7
175
2
50%
25

2028
7
280
2.2
50%
44

2029
8
440
2.2
50%
60.5

2030
8
560
2.4
50%
84

2031
8
640
2.4
50%
96

2022
1.000
0.186
1.620
1.841

2023
1.000
0.186
2.700
3.348

2024
1.000
0.186
4.500
5.580

2025
1.000
0.186
9.000
11.160

2026
1.000
0.186
15.00019.530

2027
1.000
0.186
25.00032.550

2028
1.000
0.186
44.00052.080

2029
1.000
0.186
60.50081.840

2030
1.000
0.186
84.000104.160

2031
1.000
0.186
96.000119.040

Biomass and seed yield 2022-2031

Value of seed and biomass at thefarm gate

800

90.00

700

80.00

250

600
biomass (kt)

70.00
60.00
area (kha)

2023
3.00
1.20
1.80

50.00
40.00
30.00

200

500
Value (£m)

t/ha
kt
t/ha
%
kt

2022
1.80
0.72
1.08

400
300

150
100

200

20.00

50

100

10.00
0.00
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031

Fibre area

seed area

02022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031

Total straw biomass

Total seed

02022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031

total value retted straw

total value seed

EXPANSION OF MARKETS FOR HEMP
Biomass used in different markets 2022 - 2031
Unit
kt
kt
kt
kt
kt
kt
kt
kt
kt
kt

Hemp cultivation (kha)hemp used in healthcare products
hemp used in high performance composites
hemp used in textiles
Hemp used in food, beverages, animal feed and personal care (oil & protein)
Hemp biomass on farm (AD, animal bedding, biochar)hemp used in construction
hemp bioethanol used in aviation fuelHemp biomass used for bioenergy
Total Biomass used
Biomass used minus yield of biomass from ha grown (kt)

Value of hemp in different markets 2022-31
£m
£m
£m
£m
£m
£m
£m
£m

healthcarecomposites
textilesfood,feed, personal careon farm use
construction
biofuelbioenergy

2022
1.8
0
0
0
2
5
4
0
1
10
0

2023
3
0
0
0
3
8
8
0
3
18
0

2024
5
0.001
0
0
5
9
9
0
12
30
0

2025
10
0.005
0
0
9
12
18
0
29
60
0

2026
15
0.05
0
0
15
21
34
0
49
104
-1

2027
25
0.09
0
1
25
35
57
2
79
174
-1

2028
40
0.13
1
3
44
56
88
29
104
281
1

2029
55
0.15
4
5
61
88
119
133
92
441
1

2030
70
0.15
8
10
84
112
165
157
106
558
-2

2031
80
0.15
17
15
96
128
192
164
122
638
-2

2022
0
0
0
2
0
5
0
0

2023
0
0
0
3
0
10
0
0

2024
1
0
0
5
2
12
0
2

2025
5
0
0
10
2
26
0
5

2026
50
0
1
16
4
49
0
8

2027
90
1
3
27
6
83
0
13

2028
130
2
10
48
10
128
6
17

2029
150
12
18
66
16
174
27
15

2030
150
27
33
92
21
240
31
18

2031
150
58
52
105
24
279
33
20

2030

2031

Hemp biomass used in different markets 2022-31
800

Value of hemp in different markets 2022-31
800

Hemp biomass used for bioenergy

700

500
400

hemp used in construction

300
200
100
0
2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031

600

hemp bioethanol used in aviation fuelHemp biomass on farm (AD, animal
bedding, biochar)
Hemp used in food, beverages,
animal feed and personal care (oil &protein)hemp used in textiles

Value (£m)

biomass (kt)

600

700

500
400
300
200
100
0
2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

CO2 displaced by use of hemp products
healthcarecomposites
textilesfood,feed, personal careon farm use
construction
biofuelbioenergy

kt
kt
kt

CO2 sequestered in hemp products
t
t
t
t
kt
kt
kt
kt

healthcarecomposites
textilesfood,feed, personal careon farm use
construction
biofuelbioenergy

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

2031

7
0
1

13
0
2

16
0
11

31
0
26

58
0
43

99
1
69

152
14
91

206
61
81

285
72
69

332
76
79

2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

2028

2029

2030

2031

6

12

5
14

7
29

12
54

20
92

31
141

49
191

63
264

72
307

2030
63
264
0
107
0
285
72
69

2031
72
307
0
123
0
332
76
79

CO2 displaced and sequestered by construction, biochar, fuel and bioenergy
CO2 displaced and sequestered by construction, biochar, fuel and bioenergy
on farm capture
construction capture
aviation fuel capturebioenergy capture (BECCS)
on farm displacement
construction diplacement
aviation fuel displacement
bioenergy displacement

CO2 emissions savings from hemp
construction, biofuel & biochar
CO2 emissions savings (kt)

1000
800
600
400
200
0
2

3

4

5

6

7

8

2023
0
12
0

2024
5
14
0

2025
7
29
0

2026
12
54
0

2027
20
92
0

2028
31
141
0

2029
49
191
0

0
7
0
1

0
13
0
2

0
16
0
11

0
31
0
26

0
58
0
43

0
99
1
69

0
152
14
91

0
206
61
81

CO2 sequestered in hemp products 2022-31

1200

1

2022
0
6
0

9

on farm capture

construction capture

aviation fuel capturebioenergy capture (BECCS)

on farm displacement

construction diplacement10

COe sequestered in hemp products kt/pa

kt
kt
kt
kt
kt
kt
kt
kt

400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
1

2

3

4

Hemp biomass on farm biochar

5

6

construction

7

biofuel89bioenergy

10construction

%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%

% biomass used in different markets (this feeds figures for "biomass used in different markets")
hemp used in healthcare products
hemp used in high performance composites
0.00%
0.00%
hemp used in textiles
0.00%
0.00%
Hemp used in food, beverages, animal feed and personal care (oil & protein)100.00%100.00%Hemp biomass on farm (AD, animal bedding, biochar)
47.00%
43.00%
hemp used in construction
38.00%
42.00%
hemp bioethanol used in aviation fuel
0.00%
0.00%
Hemp biomass used for bioenergy
15.00%
15.00%
checking % add up
1.00
1.00

biofuelbioenergy

0.00%
0.00%
100.00%30.00%
30.00%
0.00%
40.00%
1.00

0.00%
0.20%
100.00%20.00%
30.00%
0.00%
49.00%
0.99

0.00%
0.30%
100.00%20.00%
32.10%
0.00%
47.00%
0.99

0.10%
0.50%
100.00%20.00%
32.70%
1.26%
45.00%
1.00

0.20%
1.00%
100.00%20.00%
31.50%
10.50%
37.00%
1.00

0.80%
1.20%
100.00%20.00%
27.10%
30.14%
21.00%
1.00

1.40%
1.70%
100.00%20.00%
29.50%
28.07%
19.00%
1.00

2.60%
2.30%
100.00%20.00%
30.00%
25.69%
19.00%
1.00

unit
%
kt
%
kt
%
kt
%
kt

Seed components - oil, protein, protein, carbohydrate
Seed oil content
Total seed oil
Seed protein content
Total seed protein
seed carbohydrate
seed carbohydrate
seed fibre
seed fibre
Checking seed components add up

30%
0.486
30%
0.486
30%
0.486
10%
0.162
0

30%
0.81
30%
0.81
30%
0.81
10%
0.27
0

30%
1.35
30%
1.35
30%
1.35
10%
0.45
0

30%
2.7
30%
2.7
30%
2.7
10%
0.9
0

30%
4.5
30%
4.5
30%
4.5
10%
1.5
0

30%
7.5
30%
7.5
30%
7.5
10%
2.5
0

30%
13.2
30%
13.2
30%
13.2
10%
4.4
0

30%
18.15
30%
18.15
30%
18.15
10%
6.05
0

30%
25.2
30%
25.2
30%
25.2
10%
8.4
0

30%
28.8
30%
28.8
30%
28.8
10%
9.6
0

unit
%
kt
%
kt
%
kt

Stem components - fibre hurds an dust
fibre yield (% of biomass)
total fibre
hurds (% biomass)
total hurds
dust (% biomass)
total dust
checking biomass adds up

25%
2.475
60%
5.94
15%
1.485
0

25%
4.5
60%
10.8
15%
2.7
0

25%
7.5
60%
18
15%
4.5
0

25%
15
60%
36
15%
9
0

25%
26.25
60%
63
15%
15.75
0

25%
43.75
60%
105
15%
26.25
0

25%
70
60%
168
15%
42
0

25%
110
60%
264
15%
66
0

25%
140
60%
336
15%
84
0

25%
160
60%
384
15%
96
0

Unit
£/t
£/t
£/t
£/t
£/t
£/t
£/t
£/t

Value of products from 1 ton hemp
healthcarecomposites
textilesfood,feed, personal careon farm use
construction
biofuelbioenergy

2022
1,000,000
3,500
3,500
1,095

2023
1,000,000
3,500
3,500
1,095

1,356
200
165

1,356
200
165

2024
1,000,000
3,500
3,500
1,095
186
1,356
200
165

2025
1,000,000
3,500
3,500
1,095
186
1,456
200
165

2026
1,000,000
3,500
3,500
1,095
186
1,456
200
165

2027
1,000,000
3,500
3,500
1,095
186
1,456
200
165

2028
1,000,000
3,500
3,500
1,095
186
1,456
200
165

2029
1,000,000
3,500
3,500
1,095
186
1,456
200
165

2030
1,000,000
3,500
3,500
1,095
186
1,456
200
165

2031
1,000,000
3,500
3,500
1,095
186
1,456
200
165

Annex 10
References cited in the Phase 1 Final Report
Arrigoni A et al (2017). Life cycle assessment of natural building materials: the role ofcarbonation, mixture components and transport in the environmental impacts ofhempcrete blocks. Journal of Cleaner Production, 149, 1051-1061.
doi:10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2017.02.161
Bielecka et al., (2014) Targeted mutation of Δ12 and Δ15 desaturase genes in hemp
produce major alterations in seed fatty acid composition including a high oleic hemp
oil. Plant Biotechnology Journal 12, 613-23. doi: 10.1111/pbi.12167.
Biswal et al., (2019). Sugar release and growth of biofuel crops are improved bydownregulation of pectin biosynthesis. Nature Biotechnology, 36, 249-257.
doi: 10.1038/nbt.4067.
Laverty, K. U., et al., (2019) A physical and genetic map of Cannabis sativa identifies
extensive rearrangements at the THC/CBD acid synthase loci. Genome Research,
29:146-156. doi: 10.1101/gr.242594.118.
McKechnie et al (2011). Forest Bioenergy or Forest Carbon? Assessing Trade-Offs
in Greenhouse Gas Mitigation with Wood-Based Fuels. Environmental Science &Technology, 45, 789-795. doi.org/10.1021/es1024004
McKechnie et al (2015). Steam-treated wood pellets: Environmental and financial
implications relative to fossil fuels and conventional pellets for electricity generation
Applied Energy, 180, 637-649
O’Brien, C., & Arathi, H. S. (2019). Bee diversity and abundance on flowers ofindustrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.). Biomass and Bioenergy, 122, 331–335. doi:
10.1016/J.BIOMBIOE.2019.01.015