In the main the targets further reduce the amount of CO2 emissions each sector is allowed to produce from manufacturing activities before having to purchase credits under the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
The industry organisations include associations that represent brewers, bakers, meat processors, dairy companies, along with general beverage and food makers.
Those companies that fall under the agreements qualify for a reduced rate under an environmental levy system set up by the UK as part of its programme to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Each sector has been given a target limit for their industry as a whole and allocations are then made to individual plants. The document, produced by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), also outlines the emissions previous put out by each sector and the steps the industry has made in meeting targets.
For example the umbrella agreement with the dairy industry is made through the Dairy Energy Savings Ltd, which was esablished by Dairy UK.
The agreement covers the majority of the UK production of dairy produce from raw milk and raw-milk products.
The targets for this sector are expressed in primary kWh per tonne (kWhp/t). The sector agreement is a relative energy agreement, with targets changing with time as the composition of the sector changes, owing to entrants and exits, and as a result of corrections to baseline data.
As a consequence of adjustments, the final sector target for the third round of reductions has been set at 423.59 kWhp/t. The target represents a reduction of 34.29 kWhp/t from the previous one.
The sector output 419.50 kWhp/t, and therefore the sector has met its target, Defra concluded. As a result all dairy facilities in the ETS programme have been recertified, Defra stated.
In the first year of the scheme the UK's dairy sector cut emissions by 13 per cent in 2002, by 18 per cent in 2004, and by 24 per cent in 2005.
Overall climate change agreements are continuing to cut carbon dioxide emissions in a wide range of energy-intensive sectors, the UK's environment minister Phil Woolas told Parliament today.
Climate change agreements are voluntary agreements with 51 energy-intensive sectors covering around 10,000 facilities. The operators of the plants pay a reduced rate under the UK's climate change levy in return for meeting the energy efficiency targets.
Each agreement has a performance target for 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.
"Although almost all sectors have improved their energy efficiency performance, and most have saved energy overall, it's going to be increasingly tough for many businesses to keep meeting their targets unless they find new and additional opportunities to save energy," Woolas said.
Overall, 32 out of the 49 sectors covered met their targets outright, and in a further 10 sectors all the facilities had their climate change levy discounts renewed.
In total, 99 per cent of facilities, or 9,830, were recertified through meeting their own targets or because their sector met its target. Another 461 facilities left the agreements or did not report, probably due to closure, he said.
Another 23 were decertified because they failed to meet their targets.
Those plants that are recertified can claim up to an 80 per cent reduction in the UK's climate change levy, which was placed on all non-domestic energy supplies from 1 April 2001.
