The Tasmanian Government has committed to help farmers become more energy efficient and save money by making additional funding available through the On-Farm Energy Audit and Capital Grant Program.
The $750,000 initiative was launched in 2018 and has already had 80 applications worth $560,000 approved, with an additional 15 applications currently being assessed.
Although the program is currently closed for general primary producers, an additional $250,000 will be made available to the program to specifically help dairy farmers achieve energy savings, and will be reopening soon.
The additional funding allows dairy 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.
Up to $20,000 per applicant is available, which can be spread across an audit and purchase of capital infrastructure, and could also include professional advice on pumping and efficient irrigation systems, general farm operations, solar, domestic usage, and farm machinery and equipment.
The On-farm Energy Audit and Capital Grant Program is a key part of the State 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.