Hemp Technology History

The Beginning

In the early nineties an Essex farmer and Harlow Agricultural Merchants investigated the feasibility of establishing a company to grow and process Hemp in the UK. This research was motivated in large part by the belief that British Agriculture would have to diversify away from the over production of cereals into non-food and sustainable alternative crops.

At this time the growing of Hemp was banned under “The misuse of Drugs Act 1971”. However, some other EU states, notably France, were permitted to grow Hemp of specified varieties with a THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive drug in Cannabis) content of less than 0.3%. This figure has since been reduced to 0.2%.

Following some protracted legal argument, as the growing of Cannabis was outlawed in the UK, permission was granted to plant 1,500 acres in 1993 and Hemcore Ltd was incorporated in March of that year.

Home Office Licensing Scheme

Industrial Hemp is physically identical to the high drug content varieties of Cannabis Sativa, for this reason the crop is grown under licence and in the early 1990’s the crop was subject to strict control by the Home Office. Now that the crop is established, although still in existence, the licensing regime is much relaxed.

From an initial licence fee of £340 per grower and Home Office inspection Hemp Technology now only require one licence at a cost of £87 and crop inspection is self regulated.

DEFRA carry out sample tests to confirm that the drug content does not exceed 0.2% THC.

The Hemp Growing Process

Industrial Hemp planted in late April grows up to 14 feet tall by late July/early August when it is harvested. It is classified as a bast fibre with a sheath of fibre on the outside of the stem surrounding a woody core called shiv or hurd.

The crop had to be subjected to a degree of field retting before it can be successfully decorticated (separated) in the factory. Historically the retting process was carried out by soaking the plant in ponds, ditches or rivers. While this gave excellent fibre separation it was highly polluting and is now illegal. Rains and dew are now relied upon to activate the bacteria and moulds that break down the lignin and pectin that “glue” the plant together.

The Early Factories

While it was found that hemp is a relatively easy plant to grow, considerable challenges were encountered with the harvesting and more particularly the processing of this tough strong plant. The original decortication unit was erected in a redundant sugar beet factory at Felsted where the separation of fibre and shiv was pioneered. In order to produce the best quality fibre for the higher added value markets it was decided from the outset to pursue a gentle but efficient fibre separation process. This pioneering approach involved a lot of trial and error that inevitably prolonged the construction of an efficient line. In 1998 a new site was found for the factory at Maldon in Essex and the move was taken as an opportunity to modify the factory. The improved facility produced an excellent quality fibre and shiv. From this factory our fibre was shipped throughout the UK and Europe for automotive, insulation and paper applications. The shiv was distributed as Hemcore Bedding through a nationwide network of distributors and has become an established and recognised quality brand in the UK Equine market

The New Factory

In 2008 a new state-of-the-art processing plant has been established in Halesworth, East Anglia. In one step our production capacity has increased over 4-fold, to a level that is higher than any other Hemp processing plant in the World. We now have the capability to produce over 12,000 tonnes of high-grade hemp fibre and 25,000 tonnes of shiv. This plant represents the culmination of 15 years dedicated work by current and former Hemcore staff, but would not have been possible without the loyal support of our customers and our growers. However, this is by no means the end of our journey. Over the next decade Hemp Technology expects to see a substantial increase in demand for hemp products in our existing markets, as well as an expansion into many new markets; such as composites, textiles, and new health food products to name but a few.