Judges at recent water-saving awards found it so hard to choose between the innovation on-show that they decided ‘all shall have prizes’.
The 2007 Environment Agency Water Efficiency Awards recognised all four water conscious companies which had made it through to the final in the Agriculture and Horticulture category.
L F Papworth, Natures Way Foods Ltd, Place UK and Tamar Nurseries achieved significant reductions in water usage with a variety of initiatives during a hot and dry 2006.
L F Papworth, which has a number of interests including cereals, potatoes, livestock and an abattoir, reduced both water and energy usage through detailed irrigation work with Cambridge University Farms and Cranfield University.
Natures Way Foods Ltd, which produces pre-packed salads and vegetables for supermarkets and catering companies, has changed its practices to recycle 98 percent of wastewater into reservoirs to irrigate salad crops.
Soft fruit growers Place UK continued its drive towards water efficiency by buying their own soil moisture measurement equipment so workers would know the best time to irrigate.
Tamar Nurseries, which grows hardy plants for the commercial and retail sectors, made its nursery more efficient with a variety of improvements including raised beds and an underground irrigation system.
The awards ceremony, held at the Energy Clinic in central London, was also attended by Environment Minister Ian Pearson and Environment Agency chief executive Barbara Young.
Pearson said: “The appreciation of water as a precious resource which we need to use wisely is a relatively new concept and is still a challenging idea for many. But as we face the inevitable changes brought by climate, population growth and consumer habits it is one we are increasingly unable to ignore.”
