Water sector regulator Ofwat has granted self-supply water and sewerage licences to Arla Foods, the company owned by 12,000 dairy farmers.
Arla Foods manufactures a wide range of products including milk, yoghurt, cream and cheese – under leading brands including Cravendale, Anchor, Lurpak and Castello.
The dairy giant, which has 2,500 dairy farmers based in the UK, applied to the water sector regulator for the licences on 19 October 2020.
Arla Foods’ application to Ofwat for the licences explained that the firm has ten sites in England and recognised that water is a vital part in manufacturing its products, from cleaning and disinfection processes for milk (transportation) tankers and milk bottles, through to ensuring the everyday running of its cooling towers.
The company told Ofwat that despite the challenging market conditions caused by Covid-19, Arla Foods brand has continued to grow and there has been no drop-off in production levels.
According to the dairy company, having a self-supply licence will provide it with the requisite level of visibility, and the data and control it needs to focus and deliver on its strategy of protecting the environment and safeguarding its business from water scarcity.
The application said:
“Arla Foods states it has a requirement to have a clean data set. In order to do this to the highest level, Arla Foods considers that it needs complete visibility of each site’s water consumption and associated costs. It also has responsibilities regarding on-site boreholes and trade effluent discharge.”
The dairy company entered into a partnership agreement with Waterscan to take on the role and responsibilities for the retail functions, including meter reading, Central Market Operating System transactions, wholesaler management and finding further water efficiency savings.
Ray Moulds, Sales Director at Flood Control International, takes a look at how automated sliding floodgates are supporting secondary containment at water and sewerage company sites.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
ERG, the leading supplier of odour control systems and industrial gas cleaning & thermal systems, has been awarded the coveted King’s Award for Enterprise.
Welsh Water’s new artificial intelligence-driven tool, ORAI, has been shortlisted for three categories at the prestigious British Data Awards 2026 – underscoring the company’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology to deliver better outcome for customers.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.