Agriculture is at the heart of the Lizard Peninsula but this summer a very different type of farm will be growing a new crop – of seaweed.

This year the Cornish Seaweed Company became the first in the UK to successfully cultivate seaweed commercially at sea, at their seaweed farm in Porthallow.

It is thanks to a new collaboration between the company, Westcountry Mussels and researchers from the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory.

An 18-month research project is now about to get underway, investigating methods of growing sugar kelp at large scale and measuring the benefits to the environment that seaweed farms could provide.

Seaweed is a healthy and sustainable source of carbon-negative food, with a large global market. Now, by integrating with existing shellfish aquaculture, it should also allow the farm to provide food that is good for the environment.

Tim van Berkel, managing director of the Cornish Seaweed Company, said: “Our success is a huge step towards creating a truly sustainable food and resource economy, and we are proud to be on the forefront of this important development.

"Five years ago hardly anyone had thought of seaweed as a commercial product. Now we are realising the enormous potential it has. From food and livestock feed to biofuels, bioplastics, pharmaceuticals, medicines and even clothing, there is hardly anything that seaweed cannot be used for.”

The algae cultivation industry is set to expand in the UK, as the health and nutritional benefits of eating seaweed consumption become more widely known.

It provides a sustainable source of protein, omega-3, iron, a range of vitamins and minerals and other key nutrients, with seaweed expected to play an important role in diets.

At the same time, seaweed cultivation is purported to have a wide array of environmental benefits, including mitigating harmful algal blooms and providing habitats for marine species.

Seaweed does not need fresh water, pesticides, fertiliser or land to grow on, with a fast growth rate.

Scientists at the University of Exeter and Plymouth Marine Laboratory will now be assessing these benefits, to gain an understanding of how new seaweed aquaculture developments would interact with the environment, in a project funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.