The British dairy industry has made significant progress in reducing energy consumption in dairy production through energy saving measures.

Data collected by Dairy Energy Savings (DES), which runs the dairy sector’s Climate Change Agreement scheme (CCA), shows that since 2008 the dairy industry has achieved a 15% improvement in its energy efficiency. This means that dairy processors have already surpassed the 2020 CCA target of a 13.6% improvement in energy efficiency, as well as reaching the 2020 Dairy Roadmap target of 15%.

The dairy industry takes a proactive approach to energy efficiency and the improvements can be attributed to moves towards more efficient equipment, technologies and product mixes, fuel switches and increased employee engagement.

Many sites have also started to map their energy use patterns to identify energy hotspots where reductions can be made. As a result, this has led to efficiency improvements in steam generation, refrigeration and compressed air. A recent study also showed that further opportunities for improvement include the reduction of Cleaning in Place (CIP) water consumption and temperature – recent trials in a number of dairies have shown promising results.

Gerry Sweeney, Chairman of Dairy Energy Savings, said: “These results tell us that the scheme continues to drive improvement in the dairy sector. The figures indicate that dairy companies are committed to their sustainability goals in a pragmatic and purposeful way.”

Dr Judith Bryans, Chief Executive of Dairy UK, said: “Environmental sustainability is paramount to the dairy industry and it is extremely encouraging to see such positive results. These figures clearly show that we are taking our environmental responsibilities very seriously.”

The Dairy Climate Change Agreement (CCA) represents over 80% of the British dairy industry. CCAs are voluntary agreements that allow eligible energy-intensive sectors to receive up to 90% reduction in the Climate Change Levy if they sign up to stretching energy efficiency targets agreed with government. The dairy sector’s Climate Change Agreement scheme is run by Dairy Energy Savings, a subsidiary of Dairy UK.

Anh Tuan