Save money & meet environmental initiatives

Save money & meet environmental initiatives

Water is an essential component of farming but it is often taken for granted. With water resources already scarce in many parts of England and Wales, the Environment Agency warns that in the coming years it will become even scarcer due to climate change. So how can you save water, meet environmental initiatives and reduce your costs?

You can recover 40% of your farm’s water usage

We’re seeing more and more farmers use their barn and shed roofs to save money through rainwater harvesting. Our customers have recovered as much as 40% of their farm’s water usage with our solutions.

The amount of water used by a farm is huge and water bills can run into the many thousands. Typical costs for mains water is around £1 – £2 per cubic metre and these costs are expected to rise in the future. A farm’s usage of water can be varied, here’s just a few examples:

  • Crop spraying
  • Irrigation
  • Livestock drinking
  • Slurry management
  • Machinery and yard washing
  • Humidification
  • Staff toilet etc.Meet environmental initiativesMaking use of the rain that falls on your farm buildings can save you money. It can also mean less storage for slurry and reduce the likelihood of contaminated runoff from yards entering rivers and streams.

Some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets are already auditing their suppliers based upon their carbon footprint, resulting in some farms turning to initiatives such as rainwater harvesting to demonstrate their commitment to the environment.**

Rainwater harvesting in livestock feeding

It is a common myth that harvested rainwater cannot be used for livestock feeding. With the right filters in place, rainwater can be made safe. This can be a considerable cost saving for livestock farms. A study found that dairy farms pay between £31 and £100 per cow each year in water***. Based upon an average herd size of 131 cattle, it can cost a farm somewhere between £4,061 – £13,100 a year in drinking water.

No planning permission or licence is normally required

There is no hard or fast rule across the UK when it comes to planning permission as it comes down to the discretion of the local authority. Normally, planning permission is not required. In fact, planners tend to favour building applications that include rainwater harvesting systems and it is often a planning condition on new approvals. There are also no licensing requirements for harvesting rainwater.

A range of innovative rainwater harvesting solutions available

We offer a range of high quality water storage tanks to enable you to harvest rainwater. These include both underground and overground systems depending on your needs. We have pumped storage systems and booster systems to not only redistribute your stored water but also boost your farms water pressure and flow. All our systems are backed by the longest guarantees in the UK and if required, we can also install them for you. Call us today to get expert advice on 0121 351 3230.

Alternatively, fill out our enquiry form:

** http://www.fwi.co.uk/poultry/sainsbury­s­extends­low­carbon­model­to­poultry.htm
*** 8 ADAS 2008, Resource and Energy Audits Pilot Scheme. Report for Farming Connect Cumbria