LONDON, June 9 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
The Environment Agency hasissueda new permit for Dairy Crest Ltd (known as Saputo Dairy UK)withadditionalsafeguards following a public consultation.
The proposed permit introduces tighter controls to protect people and the environment.
The permit variation will also allow the creamery to increase cheese production through improvements in the production process, but withadditionalconditions added following the public consultation.
Saputooperatesthe creamery under an installations permit issued by the Environment Agency, which includes the discharge of treated water into the RiverInny, a tributary of the River Tamar.
The site produces dairy products including cheese and whey.
There have beenpreviousissues with water pollution, noise and odour at the site, and the Environment Agency cited the creamery as a persistently poorlyperforming site in the 2024-25 Chief Regulator's report.
TheEnvironment Agencyhas worked hard to drive improvements and has seensignificant progressat the site.
The new permit includes an increase in cheese production proposed by Saputo andremovesdemineralisedwhey production.
It also includes new emissions limits and monitoring for wastewater dischargeandformalises noise and odour mitigation measures.
In January,the Environment Agencylaunched a public consultationon a draft permit variationfor the site.
TheEnvironmentAgency received14 responsesfrom the publicand considered each one carefully.
A key concern raised was aboutthe risk of environmental harm due to the plans to increasecheese production.
TheEnvironmentAgency has acted onthis, and added a pre-operational condition to the permit, which means the operator must meet certain conditions before they can increase production.
Specifically, they mustdemonstratethe effluent treatment plant will continue tooperateeffectively asproductionincreasesand review their early warning systems.
Thiswillallow issues to be spottedearlyand prevent permit breaches.The operator mustsubmita report for approval.Wherethere aregaps, they must set out clear improvement plans and timelines.
The Environment Agencywill only allow production to increase once satisfied these conditions are met. This would allow production to rise from 9.6 tonnes to 11.4 tonnes per hour.
MaryRees, industry regulation team leader at the Environment Agency said:
Weinitiatedthispermitreview todeliverenvironmental improvementsincludingprotectingthe RiverInny.
The new permit will reduce the impact on the environment andaddresspublic concerns, whilstallowing the company to grow their operations and benefit the local economy.
The publiccan view the final permit and decision document on our public register. To request a copy, contact our Customer Contact Centre on 03706 506 506 or email DCISEnquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk.
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