Dairy farmers across Australia can apply for grants to improve energy efficiency and reduce power bills through the federal government’s Energy Efficient Communities program.
Grants of up to $20,000 will be available for a dairy farming business to upgrade equipment to reduce energy consumption, invest in monitoring systems to better manage energy use, and conduct energy audits to investigate other opportunities for energy efficient activities.
Energy use in milk cooling, milk harvesting and hot water production is one of the highest overheads in the dairy industry, costing dairy farmers as much as $12,800 per 100 cows each year.
Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said: “Supporting the long-term sustainability of our dairy farmers is critical to the sustainability of regional Australia and our food security.
“Dairy farmers are in a price squeeze from an imbalanced market, but thanks to this grants and energy efficiency upgrade program, they will be able to keep more money in their pocket.”
The Energy Efficient Communities Program was announced as part of the government’s Climate Solutions Package in the 2019 federal budget, with $10 million specifically available for the dairy round.
To ensure an equitable distribution across dairying regions, funding will be available in each state in proportion to the number of dairy farms.
Grant guidelines and application forms for the dairy round are available at business.gov.au, or by telephone on 13 28 46.
Applications close on 17 August 2020.
