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END DATA!
Jul 02
2026
16:10
Matthew Hayes
Matthew Hayes
02/07/2026 16:10
Jul 02
2026
16:10

END DATA!

Matthew has a strong point to make about data centres and their environmental impact.

What do data centres have to do with organic food and farming?
On the face of it, not much you may think, but let's dig a bit deeper:
Personally, I don't think it would be an exageration to say that artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the greatest threats to human culture, and possibly the future of humanity itself.
Let's not go there quite yet, but what is sure is that AI is wholly dependent on the expansion of data centres.  Or basically more computing power and storage.There are a number of reasons why data centres can be seen as a threat:
  • Data centres are power hungary - data centres are currently responsible for about 1.5% of the world's total annual electricity consumptions (approximately 415 Terawatt/Hrs).  Projected to double within the next few years (by 2030) - EU report, 2025.
  • The growth of data centres means an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, and that means more climate heating
  • Data centres are hugely thirsty.  The water demand of a medium-sized data centre consumes the equivalent of water demand for a city of 300,000 people
  • Data centres need land - thiis land could be used for food production or nature conservation, instead of siting industrial units (data centres) in the countryside
  • Data centres demand rare earths and other limited resources, which have very negative impacts on the environment
  • Data centres are at the heart of artificial intelligence - which in turn undermines jobs, culture, human autonomy
So, water, land, energy ... We need these for farming - we need food more than we need more data and electronic assaults on our minds.
What can we do?
Look out for data centre developments planned for Hungary, and oppose them ... now!
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Editor: Matthew has written a piece on data centres this week. Whether you agree or not, it flags up a huge dilemma for us. On the one hand data centres use a lot of water and energy and that’s getting worse.

As a farm we are very sensitive to big industry taking precious groundwater away from the soil and producing food.

On the other hand it allows us to do more, be more productive, solve problems we couldn’t solve or couldn’t afford to solve before.

We’re using AI to help us with product development, financial planning and reporting, and improving our farming.

We’d be curious about your views. Should we be using AI to help provide you better products and services or should we reject it on environmental grounds?

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