Northern farmer grows Lincolnshire’s first commercial olives as climate shifts
A 25-acre grove near Spalding demonstrates how warmer, drier conditions are enabling UK olive farming, with Italian expertise and energy self-sufficiency.
An East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire farmer has begun harvesting what is believed to be Lincolnshire’s first commercial olive crop, a development tied to longer-term climate shifts in the United Kingdom. David Hoyles, whose family has farmed the Fens for more than 200 years, has established a 25-acre olive operation on land at Long Sutton near Spalding. The project includes hand-harvesting olives that are crushed to extract oil, which has been bottled for public sale.
Hoyles planted more than 18,000 olive trees after five years of testing and research. Saplings were sourced from Spain and planted in 2024 as part of a broader effort to adapt farming to changing conditions. He collaborated with Italian farmers who have long experience growing olives, a relationship that helped him assess which varieties might thrive in Lincolnshire’s soil and climate. The effort has earned him a nickname from his Italian counterparts: they call him the “crazy Englishman,” a label Hoyles says reflects a shared willingness to exchange knowledge and enthusiasm. "We first looked at grapes but they didn't suit our soil type. Olives is something of an extreme choice but one we've gone for," he said. The olives are harvested by hand by family and friends, with the initial crop processed for oil that is now offered to the public.
Hoyles has also modernized the farm’s operations to improve energy resilience and water security. He has installed wind turbines and solar panels to boost energy self-sufficiency and added reservoirs to provide extra water for the crops during dry periods. "We’re finding that the textbook way of growing olives isn’t how we do it in the UK; the season timings are different and we are learning and adapting all the time," he said. These changes are part of a broader strategy to diversify the farm’s output as climate conditions shift.
Industry context and forecasting play a role in the project’s outlook. The Met Office has projected warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers in the UK, a pattern that can extend growing seasons for some crops while stressing others. Hoyles says climate change is one reason for the investment, even as the olive trees sit on the edge of survivability. "Seeing the climate change is one reason why we have invested, although we are on the edge of where the [olive] trees will survive," he noted.
Even with the early success, Hoyles emphasizes that the project remains experimental. The Long Sutton grove, planted in 2024, sits alongside more traditional crops such as wheat, sugar beet, potatoes and peas, illustrating a pragmatic approach to farming in a changing climate. If olive cultivation proves viable at scale, it could encourage other farmers in northern regions to consider diversification away from conventional crops and toward more climate-resilient options. The oil produced from the early harvest has been bottled for public sale, signaling the potential for a new regional niche in the UK agricultural sector.