RABDF urges farmers to take up energy equipment free loans
22 December 2009
The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers has welcomed Defra’s offer of interest free loans worth up to £20,000 to invest in energy efficient equipment, and it is encouraging dairy producers to take up.
“We are urging all dairy farmers to look at energy usage across their units and to take advantage of these one-off loans, provided through the Carbon Trust, because it is more than likely that there will be areas in which a new piece of equipment is needed and cost savings can be made,” explains RABDF technical and policy adviser, Tom Rabbetts.
“For example, water heating, milk cooling and vacuum pumps are just some of the areas where a change of equipment will provide immediate savings, however the offer comes at a time when there is such a wide range of other equipment eligible, including changes to slurry systems and ventilation which have the potential to lower energy usage over the long term and consequently save energy bills.”
He adds: “These options can be viewed at www.dairyenergy.eu a website which RABDF has been working on for the last two years to help dairy producers not only achieve energy efficiency on farm but also reduce its carbon footprint. To qualify for the loans farmers will need to meet an eligibility threshold, and by using the calculators available online they will able to help work out which piece of equipment will work best for their unit.”
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