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In 2019, some €456,000 was issued to 114 dairy farmers under the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s (SEAI) dairy grant scheme for more efficient milk pumps.
The scheme covered the installation of variable speed drives (VSDs), as well as controls, motors and pumps. Each grant required a VSD to be eligible, making this the most popular technology, according to an SEAI spokesperson.
Some 153 dairy farmers received approval for the grant scheme, with 114 completing the projects and submitting final paperwork.
€1m in grants
In the last three years of the scheme, 228 farmers took part in the scheme, with almost €1m in grants from the SEAI for the installation of VSD vacuum and milk pump technology.
The technology adjusts the speed of the pump to the milking machine’s need in real time, reducing electricity consumption, costs and noise.
Up to 40% of the cost of the technologies installed were available to farmers under the scheme and the average grant size was €4,000 of a maximum of €5,000 under the scheme.
Cutting costs
“Energy efficiency can help dairy farms to cut costs, which frees up resources that can be invested in more productive activities.
“Energy efficiency also strengthens dairy farms by helping to increase their resilience to fluctuating milk prices,” a spokesperson for the SEAI told the Irish Farmers Journal.
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