Berry supplier S&A Produce sees investments in water recycling and storage as crucial for surviving the UK’s drier summers
S&A Produce, one of Aldi’s largest strawberry suppliers, has invested more than £3mn in water recycling and storage, including over £2mn in full run-off recycling systems across its Marden, Brierley and Kent sites.
The systems, which capture irrigation water that is not absorbed by the strawberry plants, treat it and return it to on-farm reservoirs for reuse, have reduced S&A’s overall water consumption by 25-30 per cent across the three sites.
“The prolonged sunshine has led to a significant flush of British strawberries,” said James Kerr, group finance director at S&A Produce. “At the same time, this has been the most challenging summer we have experienced for water availability.
“Our investment in water recycling and storage has allowed us to maintain production through those conditions. Without the measures we have introduced over the past five years, it is doubtful that our business would have made it through this summer.”
S&A’s long-term agreement with Aldi, which runs from May 2026 to November 2030, offering greater visibility over future demand and enabling longer-term financial planning, also includes commitments pertaining to water preservation, including recycling, storage and efficiency.
Julie Ashfield, chief commercial officer at Aldi UK, commented: “The pressure S&A has experienced this summer illustrates the very real water challenges facing British growers.
“S&A has independently made significant investments to reduce its water use and strengthen the resilience of its farms. Our long-term agreement provides greater visibility over future supply and demand, while also including commitments around water recycling, storage and efficiency.”
Over the last three years, S&A has equally invested over £1mn in two reservoirs at its Marden site. A third reservoir is scheduled for completion next month, while a separate project kicks off at the Kent site later in the year. For almost three months this summer, S&A’s Kent farm relied on externally sourced water delivered by tanker.
“Every drop we recover is water we do not need to take from somewhere else,” Kerr noted. “Our systems clean the run-off from our crops and return it to our reservoirs so it can be used again.
“We have reduced our total water in-take by up to 30 per cent which puts us at the forefront of British strawberry growers in terms of the size and scale of our water recycling operations. That resilience has been critical in helping us protect the crop during such a difficult summer.”
The investment follows the government’s announcement of a £65mn package to assist farmers in England in managing the impact of prolonged dry weather and build resilience to future droughts.
The package includes up to £15mn for on-farm reservoirs, action to reduce obstacles to planning and simpler arrangements for accessing water in times of drought.
“Growers have a responsibility to use water carefully and invest in their own resilience, but we cannot solve the challenge alone,” said Kerr. “Reservoirs and recycling systems require considerable capital, planning consent and regulatory engagement. More joined-up support would help growers deliver this infrastructure faster and protect British food production when pressure on water supplies is at its greatest.”
