As demand for water remains high across the province, the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) is supporting calls for people to use water responsibly.

Brian Irwin, Chairman, NIFDA, explains why doing so is vital for local food production:

“The food and drink industry is one of Northern Ireland’s most important export assets and largest employer. If we are to continue to meet the demands placed upon our sector this summer, it is critical that quality water keeps on flowing.

“For agri-food producers, water is not just part of the production process, it is a direct ingredient in some of our favourite drinks and bakery goods as well essential to the production of dairy and meat products. Continuity of supply is also critical as agri-food producers tend not to store water due to bacteria risk. Therefore, in the event of a water supply outage, most producers would not be able to maintain production for very long, having to stop within hours or sooner.

“As an industry, we are committed to using water as efficiently as we possibly can. To ensure that production lines keep running, we appreciate the public supporting NI Water as it calls on everyone to reduce water usage where they can. Making small changes to your daily routine at home and work will minimise the risk of interruption to food production at this busy time of year.”

NI Water is asking that businesses and organisations consider and act on how they could reduce their water consumption at this time, for example;

Not washing vans and vehicles;

Adjusting the automatic flushing on urinals to a lesser frequency;

Avoid using sprinklers and hose pipes to water lawns;

Making sure taps aren’t leaking over the weekend – a dripping tap can waste more than 60 litres of water per week.

Reusing water where possible