Water is critically important for all food processing, where it is primarily used for sterilisation, washing and general hygiene.
As part of our meat production process, water is accessed through wells on our sites, the public water supply and by harvesting rainwater. We are signatories to WRAP’s Food and Drink Pact and the Water Roadmap, which sets out pathways to address collective challenges in protecting water for food supply, nature and communities. The food industry vision is for 50%of the UK’s fresh food to be sourced from areas with sustainable water management.
All production sites will be evaluated against a variety of initiatives such as rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse, with suitable projects rolled out by 2030, and water usage intensity will be reduced year on year.
Our production sites are ISO certified for environmental management (Dawn Meats and Dunbia) and real-time performance is observed across the business through our Management System, with water metering systems in place to monitor consumption across site operations (e.g. Wastewater treatment plants, washing activities, food production, livestock welfare and amenities). Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are agreed and progress is shared through monthly calls, site reports and site operations meetings. This communication strategy provides insights into opportunities for improvement across our sites. As per our Environmental Sustainability Policy (Dawn Meats and Dunbia) we are committed to continuously achieving water intensity reductions.
We continuously optimise the efficient use of water across our sites through ongoing investment in technology, data management and online metering platforms to provide real-time information on water usage and allow for wastage and anomalies in water consumption to be promptly identified and rectified. We have invested in several reduction projects including rainwater harvesting, low flow steriliser units, solenoid controls and upgrading washing equipment.
Across all sites, a variety of wastewater treatment techniques such as screening, Dissolved Air Flotation units and biological and chemical treatment are implemented to achieve high quality treated wastewater. At several sites, greywater is recycled to minimise overall water consumption. We regularly review best available and upcoming technologies to ensure continued improvements are implemented.
Employees are engaged on how their actions impact water performance, and training is provided to maintain a culture of accountability across our sites. Awareness campaigns on the importance of water conservation are regularly arranged. These take the form of toolbox talks, PIT meetings, training and directed reviews when opportunities for improvements are identified.
Greywater Reuse and Rainwater Harvesting
at West Devon, England
The site’s effluent plant cleans incoming water to a level high enough for reuse in certain areas of the site, such as lorry washes, lairages, and yard areas. Reused water saves on natural resources, reducing treated water use from the mains supply or from abstracted sources. Rainwater harvesting commenced at the site in 2024, with existing guttering redirected and new downspouts fitted to additional water storage, reducing the sites reliance on new incoming water. Annual energy and water savings equate to over 1.2 MWh and to over 5,400 m3 respectively.
Water Cooling Circuit
at Cross Hands, Wales
Retail sites such as Cross Hands use packing machines which use a direct flow of water to cool them to the right temperature, so that they continue to work efficiently and effectively. Water flows through the machine and exits via a drain.
A new water-cooling circuit was installed on site, allowing water which has been used for cooling to be circulated back into a dedicated system, and from there sent back to cool more machines, such as thermoformers and sealing machines, in a closed cooling loop. Connecting equipment to a single central cooling system is more energy efficient than individual machines running their own dedicated cooling systems.
Annual energy and water savings equate to over 100 MWh and to over 10,000 m3 respectively.