Context

The increasing demand for freshwater due to population growth and high consumption in the agricultural and industrial sectors, linked to the water stress affecting an increasing number of countries in the world, has led to the reuse of treated wastewater being seen as a promising solution to tackle this major challenge.

Focusing on the meat sector, the water used in abattoirs is mainly destined for production processes where the water used is directly in contact with the meat product (washing of carcasses and sanitisation), but there is just as significant a part where the water used is classified as non-contact water that is used outside the meat processing environment, such as in the cleaning of trucks and pens. Effluent from abattoirs is characterised by a high content of organic matter, with a significant nutrient load that must be removed for discharge into surface water.

In view of the need to adopt reuse practices, the current Royal Decree RD 1620/2007 establishes not only quality criteria for water reuse for agricultural uses, but also for urban and industrial uses.
Unfortunately, despite having established criteria for a more sustainable use of water resources, this management strategy is not promoted in the food industry, possibly due to lack of knowledge on their part of the criteria established by the public administration or due to legislative barriers that currently hinder the regeneration and reuse of this water in abattoirs.
Therefore, the challenge for the sector is not only to comply with the law established by the Royal Decree, but also to understand what the requirements established by the Administration are in order to be able to use treated water and to fulfil them; without posing a risk to human health or the environment.