The 2006 FISS

Environmental issues for the food chain as highlighted in the 2006 FISS

Climate change: for the priority of tackling energy use and carbon emissions the UK-wide Climate Change Programme, including the Climate Change Levy and Climate Change Agreements, and, the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes are key areas.
Rising energy prices are also another incentive for change, the most recent increases in fuel prices being directly linked to extreme weather conditions, most probably themselves a consequence of climate change. The food industry can obtain assistance from the Carbon Trust. Defra's 2006 FISS challenges industry to reduce its carbon emissions by 20% by 2010 against a 1990 baseline and commits Government and industry to a process of discussion. The UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) provides scenarios that show how our climate might change and co-ordinates research on dealing with our future climate.

Waste: in the case of the waste priority, much progress has been made by industry under existing waste regime incentives. These include the landfill tax, statutory targets for packaging waste recovery and recycling, requirements for packaging minimisation and the Integrated Pollution and Prevention Control regime. Best practice programmes such as Envirowise and the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) are in place to offer assistance for the food and drink sector. 

Water: the 2006 FISS encourages the food industry to reduce its current levels of demand for water at all stages of the supply chain by improving efficiency through the adoption of best practice without compromising food hygiene.  The FISS challenges the food industry to reduce its water use by 10-15% by 2020, and by 20-25% in the South East, in response to growing pressures on water supplies. Water and effluent charges are an increasingly important aspect of finding potential savings in manufacturing and processing food. OFWAT regulates water charges in the UK and the Consumer Council for Water provides a means to review your services and water bill. The Environment Agency is the regulator in enforcing water quality regulations, water abstraction permits and IPPC permits in England and Wales. The NetRegs web site provides comprehensive information on all aspects of environmental regulations and permitting including those relating to water.

Transport: the external costs of UK food transportation, environmental, social and economic, are estimated by Defra commissioned research to be just over £9 billion per year.  The FISS encourages the food industry to continue to improve its vehicle fleet utilisation and efficiency, as measured by the Department for Transport’s benchmarking surveys on food distribution.