MP calls on farmers to look at anaerobic digester loan fund

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has welcomed the launch of a £3m scheme providing loans to farmers to set up a small anaerobic digestion (AD).

The initiative will allow farmers to apply for up to £400,000 from the AD Loan Fund to help them finance on-site AD technology.

Two types of funding are available. Farmers can apply for funding to develop a business case to find out if anaerobic digestion is the right solution for them in dealing with waste. They can then apply for a loan of up to £400,000 to fund up to 50 per cent of the overall costs of the AD plant.

AD plants offer obvious benefits to farmers but the scale of the initial investment required is often a barrier. The plants are used to turn waste, for example slurry, into energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and producing a renewable source of bio-fertiliser. For more information about the application process please visit www.wrap.org.uk/node/16778

Tim said: "I hope that local farmers look at the fund and see if a small anaerobic digester could make a difference. The fund could, for example, help enable groups of local farmers to build greener energy capacity production while also expanding their income prospects.

"It will help deal with recycling and boost our energy - it seems win-win!"