The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton has announced funding of up to €500,000 for energy efficient dairy farm equipment.
The funding will be made available for high-efficiency milk pumps, saving the average farmer €1,440 in energy bills and 1.6 tonnes in reduced carbon emissions annually.
“It is vital that every sector of our economy seek ways to reduce their carbon impact,” Minister Bruton said.
“This is a great opportunity for dairy farmers to become more efficient and save money. It is one of the many practices in a farm where new ways of working can make a significant impact.”
Efficient & Cost Saving
Welcoming the investment, Minister Creed said that the new plan is “an excellent example of a collaborative approach to driving the national sustainability agenda”.
“Not only does this dairy equipment make climate sense but also sound economic sense at individual farm level and I urge farmers to engage fully with the scheme.”
The Scheme is administered through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Up to 40% of total technology and installation costs may be covered by the grant.
The technologies covered under the scheme include Variable Speed Drive (VSD) Vacuum Pumps and VSD milk pumps.
Pat Walton, a fourth generation dairy farmer in Ballingarry, Co Tipperary, who has installed a new vacuum pump, said that the new system is “much quieter and cheaper to run”.
“It is an investment at the start, but over four or five years it will have paid for itself and after that, it is saving you a lot of money,” Walton added.
“It is worth doing for the savings. It is also more environmentally friendly, cleaner and safer."
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
