Dairy farmers warm to eco task
DAIRY farmers on Teesside are milking the latest green technologies to help boost their bottom line.
While the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) yesterday gave a cautious welcome to Food 2030 - the Government’s strategy for a sustainable future for British food and farming - Teesside’s agriculturalists are already ahead of the eco game.
They have been snapping up a special system that channels vast amounts of waste heat from refrigeration to warm the water used for cleaning milking areas.
Dairy production eats up a lot of energy - milk that leaves the cow at 101 degrees Fahrenheit must be chilled immediately.
Around 50 North-east farms have installed the system, by Hexham-based Hadrian Farm Services.
Dairy farmer Robert Chapman, who runs Easby Grange Farm near Great Ayton, added solar panels to his system. He said: “The difference is unbelievable. The heat from refrigeration used to disappear into thin air before. This puts us one step ahead of the game.”
Farmer Peter Chapman, from Thornton Grange Farm, near Middlesbrough, has also installed the system.
He said: “We need about 600 litres of hot water a day to wash out the milking plant. The heat saved warms the water to around 50 degrees, then we use electricity to heat it further. It saves us heating it from scratch, it utilises the waste well - far better than I thought it would.”
Malcolm Archer, MD of Hadrian Farm Services, which also has a branch in Darlington, said: “There’s a lot of scope for farmers to save on energy consumption. They can recoup the money on this system in two years and grants are available. We want to diversify into renewable energy on farms. The industry has been slow to come to terms with the environmental agenda, but it’s gathering momentum.”
Meanwhile the NFU yesterday said the Food 2030 Vision was a “useful blueprint”, but warned that the Government needed to be careful to balance productivity and sustainability.
NFU president Peter Kendall said: “Farmers and growers are already demonstrating that they can produce more food while impacting less. What we now need are policies that underpin and enhance a productive agriculture sector.”
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