Water use warning to dairy producers

MORE THAN three fifths of dairy producers use more water than they need to and must start to properly record usage if they are to meet an industry-set 20 per cent reduction in its use by 2020, a senior academic has warned.

Five years’ of water consumption data from 53 dairy companies across the UK revealed significant differences in the volume of water used to produce milk, butter and cheese.

The study was carried out by Dr David Campbell, associate professor of water conservation at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, who said: “The UK uses around 40.9bn litres of water each year to produce 14bn litres of milk. The huge volumes of water being used... means it is critical for the UK dairy sector to start benchmarking its water use, and aiming for more comprehensive water management schemes.”

The UK’s food and drink sector is the greatest industrial consumer of water in the UK, and the dairy sector uses 21 per cent of the UK’s fresh water resource for drinking, cleaning and cooling, Dr Campbell said.

“The ever-increasing cost of water, more stringent regulatory regimes and the high cost of energy for pumping and processing milk means dairy producers will benefit from optimal use of water,” Dr Campbell said.

“By improving water-use efficiency, water and wastewater bills could be reduced by 30 percent, which is a further incentive to dairy producers, alongside improving the sector’s overall sustainability credentials. This isn’t about introducing new regulation or burdensome tasks, it’s about saving money for these producers and increasing sustainability.”