Tasmanian dairy farmers will soon be able to access grants to help with energy efficiency measures, including capital costs, with the State Government announcing a dairy-specific round of the On Farm Energy Audit and Capital Grants Program.
The Tasmanian Government has also announced an additional $250,000 to fund grants of up to $20,000 per applicant, which can be used to fund an energy audit and a wide range of energy efficient equipment.
The funding allows farmers to engage a qualified professional to review their energy use, identify savings and then to implement recommended energy efficiency measures, including for capital costs.
Funding can be spread across an audit and purchase of capital infrastructure which could also include professional advice on pumping and efficient irrigation systems, general farm operations, solar, domestic usage, and farm machinery and equipment.
The dairy-specific round builds on the very successful program that has seen over $740,000 allocated to farmers to take practical steps to reduce their business costs through energy saving initiatives.
It is part of the State Government’s commitment of $900,000 over four years through the ‘Grow more, Milk more and Make more’ initiative to work with dairy farmers on productivity, farm business and value-adding strategies.
The On-Farm Energy Audit and Capital Grant Program is a part of the Government’s plan to improve the competitiveness of Tasmanian agriculture and grow the annual farm gate value of the sector to $10 billion a year by 2050.
