More than half of UK food and drink manufacturers have no contingency plan to deal with water shortages
Press Release
Water Scarcity
More than half of food and drink manufacturers (61 per cent) do not have a water supply contingency plan in place for their UK sites, despite 94 per cent saying a consistent supply is critical to their day-to-day operations, research by water services and treatment specialist Alpheus has revealed.
A survey of Alpheus customers and Food and Drink Federation members, which includes some of the UK’s biggest food and drink manufacturers, has revealed how precarious their situation is at a time when water shortages are rife across the UK.
Large areas of the UK are already water-stressed, and the Environment Agency warned earlier this year that England faces a 5 billion litre a day shortfall for public water supplies by 2055. After four heatwaves this summer, there are currently hosepipe bans in place across four regions driven by a lack of rain and increased consumption.
The long-term issue of water scarcity is posing challenges for businesses in food and drink manufacturing that are reliant on water supply for their day-to-day industrial processes and need additional access to water should they wish to expand their operations.
The survey also found that limits on water supply and effluent discharge are creating increased development costs and planning delays. This is causing businesses in the sector to significantly rescope or even cancel expansion projects. The survey found that:
None of the food and drink manufacturers surveyed believed that the impact of water infrastructure constraints were well understood in the UK’s national economic and planning policy. 65 per cent of respondents felt that these constraints were either poorly or very poorly understood.
Chris Deadman, MD at Alpheus, leading wastewater management and environmental solutions provider, said: “Food and drink is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, and it’s also one of the most exposed industries to increasing water scarcity disruptions. As a nation we can’t afford to ignore issues around water scarcity or we will begin to see this restrict growth in one of our most important sectors.
“There are a number of things food and drink companies can do to reduce their reliance on fresh water supply, and reduce the amount of wastewater they release. Introducing closed-loop systems, where water used in industrial processes is treated and reused on-site, allows companies to cut its water usage. By recycling water internally, companies improve their ability grow, reduce the impact of periods of drought, and release less waste.
Responses to Environmental Information Requests submitted to UK water companies also revealed that measures are beginning to be taken to limit access to new water connections for non-domestic requests to protect statutory supply duties to domestic consumers.
Essex and Suffolk Water are currently imposing a moratorium on new or increased non-domestic connections across the Hartismere water resource zone until 2033. This means businesses needing more water for commercial or industrial purposes will not be granted additional capacity even if they have an existing connection.
Cambridge Water also advised that it was unable to facilitate supply requests exceeding 20m3 a day for non-domestic purposes until 2032.
Anglian Water said that it is currently having to limit non-domestic requests to 20m³ a day, due to limits on its own abstraction licences, along with the difficulty of forecasting non-domestic growth. As a result, Anglian Water is asking its users to explore alternative options, such as effluent reuse, rather than using drinking water where it’s not needed.
Chris Deadman added: “The recent Environment Agency rport into water shortages across England outlined the significant challenges we face. Within this context, it’s not surprising to see water companies taking measures to restrict access to new water supply in water-stressed regions.
“As we look to the future, we will all need to consider how we can champion strong water stewardship, water re-use, and prioritise strategic investment which supports the growth the country needs while also preserving our finite water resources.”
* Survey respondents were 18 of the UK’s largest food and drink manufacturers, of which 33% reported annual turnovers in excess of £1billion, and 94% reported annual turnovers in excess of £25million.
