Yoghurt maker Muller pays £100K to charity after river discharge

Yoghurt manufacturer Müller has donated £100,000 to a wildlife charity after high levels of ammonia were discharged into a river near its dairy facility.

The Environment Agency (EA) said large pieces of fruit had passed into the factory's effluent treatment plant in Market Drayton, Shropshire, in 2018.

As a result, high levels of ammonia went into the River Tern and stayed above permitted amounts for 15 days.

The EA said Müller had since complied with regulations.

It added that as well as its payment to Shropshire Wildlife Trust, the manufacturer had also spent £2m improving its environmental practices.

Müller is the country's largest yoghurt producer and uses Market Drayton as its headquarters.

Contamination in the River Tern remained above permitted levels for 15 days

The EA said the discharge in January 2018 had marked a failure to comply with its permit conditions.

It happened during maintenance works, when pieces of fruit were inadvertently allowed to enter the effluent treatment plant.

A spokesperson for Müller said there was "no evidence of environmental harm". However, the company acknowledged the incident "fell short of the expectations we set ourselves to be a responsible and sustainable business".

The spokesperson said Muller took the discharge "extremely seriously" and was "committed to making a number of significant changes at our Market Drayton site to ensure nothing like this could happen again".

It has made changes to staff training and control systems, the spokesperson said, adding there had been no similar incidents since.

'Prevent repeat incidents'

"The Environment Agency is increasingly using this method of enforcement for suitable cases to restore the environment, improve practices of the offending company and avoid longer criminal court cases," said Sarah Dennis, from the agency.

"However, we will prosecute in appropriate cases.

"Enforcement undertakings allow polluters to positively address and restore the harm caused to the environment and prevent repeat incidents."

Shropshire Wildlife Trust works to restore natural habitats in the county and said the money would go towards watercourse protection projects along the Tern.

"Müller's donation will support the land and water team who manage and improve the health of our county's water by surveying aquatic species, running events and working with different partners to address flooding issues across the county," said Pete Lambert, from the charity.

"The funds will support the delivery of vital watercourse-protection and water quality enhancement projects using nature-based solutions including fencing and tertiary water-treatment along a small tributary of the River Tern in north Shropshire."