Environment Agency issues new permit for Davidstow creamery

The Environment Agency has issued a new permit for Dairy Crest Ltd (known as Saputo Dairy UK) with additional safeguards 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 with additional conditions added following the public consultation. 

Saputo operates the creamery under an installations permit issued by the Environment Agency, which includes the discharge of treated water into the River Inny, a tributary of the River Tamar. 

The site produces dairy products including cheese and whey. 

There have been previous issues with water pollution, noise and odour at the site, and the Environment Agency cited the creamery as a persistently poorly performing site in the 2024-25 Chief Regulator’s report. 

The Environment Agency has worked hard to drive improvements and has seen significant progress at the site. 

The new permit includes an increase in cheese production proposed by Saputo and removes demineralised whey production. 

It also includes new emissions limits and monitoring for wastewater discharge and formalises noise and odour mitigation measures. 

In January, the Environment Agency launched a public consultation on a draft permit variation for the site. 

The Environment Agency received 14 responses from the public and considered each one carefully. 

A key concern raised was about the risk of environmental harm due to the plans to increase cheese production. 

The Environment Agency has acted on this, and added a pre-operational condition to the permit, which means the operator must meet certain conditions before they can increase production. 

Specifically, they must demonstrate the effluent treatment plant will continue to operate effectively as production increases and review their early warning systems. 

This will allow issues to be spotted early and prevent permit breaches. The operator must submit a report for approval. Where there are gaps, they must set out clear improvement plans and timelines.  

The Environment Agency will 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. 

Mary Rees, industry regulation team leader at the Environment Agency said: 

We initiated this permit review to deliver environmental improvements including protecting the River Inny. 

The new permit will reduce the impact on the environment and address public concerns, whilst allowing the company to grow their operations and benefit the local economy.

The public can 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.