Energy-Saving News

Carbon Trust Farms Interest With Free Agricultural Loans For Energy Efficiency

Posted on 22. Dec, 2009 by Ross in Food Production, Government Policy, United Kingdom

Five months after the initial announcement by the government, the Carbon Trust is now officially extending its interest-free business loan scheme to UK farms in an effort to promote energy efficiency within the agricultural sector.

The move was initially part of the UK government’s Low Carbon Transition Plan back in July, which set for the first time a carbon reduction target for the country’s farms and agricultural businesses. The 6% cut for farming was one of the most important and fresh steps with the Low Carbon Transition Plan, but received little notice at the time due to greater media attention focused on feed-in tariffs for renewable energy and pay-as-you-save schemes for domestic insulation.

The 6% reduction in agricultural emissions by 2020 was to be achieved by promoting more wide-spread use of anaerobic digesters to generate energy from livestock waste, from better awareness of food supply chain carbon footprints and from the inclusion of farming into eligibility for the Carbon Trust’s Big Business Refit.

The Big Business Refit allows businesses to receive interest-free unsecured loans in order to pay for more energy-efficient equipment. For farms, suitable projects would include thermal screens for greenhouses, new milk cooling systems, crop store insulation, energy efficient lighting and heating systems and grain drying humidity controls.

Although the Carbon Trust’s Big Business Refit usually allows businesses to apply for loans up to

Related posts:

1. Carbon Trust Helps Track Dirty Carbon Farming Footprint
2. UK Government Plans For A Low Carbon Future With Higher Energy Prices and Green Farming
3. Carbon Trust Puts Energy Saving LED Lighting Against The Wall
4. UK Energy Efficiency Home Loans Take A Lesson From The Carbon Trust
5. British Business Ignorant Of Loans For Big Refit Projects: Carbon Trust Survey

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Tags: Carbon Trust, farming, funding