farming and processes
Irrigation is necessary as natural precipitation cannot always be relied on. We minimise water usage wherever possible and ensure our activities are always good environmental practice.
The Environment Agency and Water Licencing
We have 40 licenced abstraction points, The licences are granted, revoked and continually monitored by the Environment Agency. In order to maintain licenced status we adhere to the rules and guidelines set down including total abstraction amounst and abstraction speeds with different criteria dependent on the seasons.
Water Sources
We abstract water from numerous sources, including boreholes, rifes, rivers, mains water and use the waste water from the factory at our sister company Natures Way Foods.
Water storage and Infrastructure
At Langmead Farms we have 14 reservoirs. The use of all water resources are planned to maximise the use of seasonal water availability and storage. We have invested in underground transfer lines to move water between sites and land without available water.
Water Safety
All our water sources are monitored and tested regularly by accredited laboratories. In order to reduce the amount of microbes in the water we treat water with ultraviolet technology and use filtration systems.
The Process and Equipment
Water is transferred from reservoirs to pump houses where it is pressurised ready for application in the field. The pressurised water travels to hose reels via pipes. The hoses are then attached to booms which apply water to the fields with tractors pulling them.