Plant can make more cheese under proposed permit
Lisa Young - Cornwall
Fri, January 16, 2026 at 2:58 PM UTC
1 min read
People are being asked for their views on a proposal to issue a new environmental permit that would allow a creamery to increase cheese production.
The Environment Agency said it was "minded to issue the new permit" to Saputo Dairy UK for Davidstow Creamery, in Cornwall.
In 2022 Saputo was fined £1.5m after admitting a series of pollution and odour charges and the agency said there had been "multiple permit breaches" in 2022 and 2023 at the plant. Saputo said at the time the problems were being addressed.
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Chris James, from the agency, said the new permit would "reduce the site's impact on the environment" while allowing the creamery to increase cheese production.
Upgrades at the site will allow the creamery to increase cheese production from 9.6 tonnes an hour to 11.4 tonnes an hour, said the proposal.
The agency said it had issued Saputo with a permit which allowed the discharge of treated water into the River Inny, a tributary of the River Tamar.
The proposed permit includes new emissions limits and monitoring for wastewater discharge and formalises noise and odour mitigation measures.
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James said the agency had initiated the permit review "to bring about environmental improvements and protect the River Inny".
People can send their comments on the proposal via the Citizen Space consultation website, with the consultation due to close on 13 February.
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