ON FARM RENEWABLES ON SHOW IN DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

Farmers urged to view wind, solar and anaerobic digestion projects

Scottish farmers with an interest in renewable technology are being urged to attend the third on-farm demo day organised by NFU Scotland’s Renewable Development Initiative (RDI).

The event, being hosted by two farms in the Newton Stewart area on Wednesday, 26 February, will look at anaerobic digestion, wind and solar energy generation with all farmers invited to come and see for themselves the installed wind and solar projects in action and the AD plant which is under construction.

The technology on show in the morning at East Knockbrex, courtesy of Iain Service, will look at the integration of an anaerobic digestion plant into a new dairy set-up while in the afternoon delegates will visit Gledhill, near Borgue, to see wind and solar projects installed by Rupert Shaw.  In between site visits, there will be workshops on all aspects of renewables, including support and tariffs and an opportunity to meet with industry experts.

Speaking ahead of the RDI’s third event, NFU Scotland’s Regional Co-ordination Manager Lisa Roberts said:

“With the launch of the Scottish Government’s agri-renewables strategy this week, this is a hugely exciting time for renewables and farmers and land managers are at the centre of that.  If Scotland is to achieve its full energy generating potential, it is essential that we share and learn from each other’s experiences.

“The RDI was established with the support of Scottish Government funding and through events like these and the case studies on our website, the initiative is providing sound independent advice to farmers and land managers across Scotland on renewable energy. 

“There is no better way to showcase the technology than by showing it under construction and in action on Scottish farms and we encourage farmers to come along and see what Iain and Rupert have done on their farms.

Speaking ahead of the event, host farmer Iain Service said:

“When we were planning our new dairy we thought it made a lot of sense to utilise the slurry in holistic approach which improves the fertiliser quality, reduces smells and also generates electricity and heat.   Although AD is not a new technology there are not many plants within Scotland and the technical knowledge has been hard to find. 

“In my case it took me some time to find a technology provider I had confidence in.  It has taken four years to get our plans for anaerobic digestion to this stage, however, by sharing my story with other farmers, those interested in AD will get an idea of the work involved and hopefully get projects progressed in a faster timeframe.

Fellow host farmer, Rupert Shaw, already has wind and solar installations up and running at Gledpark.  He added:

“For wind generation, I chose the turbine first, and then the installer.  Reliability is important to me.  As such, I felt it was important to research all the turbines which were on the market, understand how each one worked and make sure that I chose a turbine size that met my needs. 

“Having undertaken this exercise I selected a turbine that I felt I had the most confidence in.  The second task was to then review the different companies I could place the order with and negotiate the best installation price.   Having had the projects in the ground for over a year I now have 12 months of real data to share with other farmers.”

·      NFU Scotland, with funding from The Scottish Executive and the European Union, has established the Renewable Development Initiative, facilitated by Smiths Gore.

·        The initiative’s latest Demonstration Farms Open Day will take place on Wednesday, 26 February. 

–          Morning:Anaerobic Digestion (New Farm Steading, East Knockbrex Farm, Newton Stewart, DG8 6QF). Meet at 9.00am for 9.30am.  Site visit followed by workshop session.

–          Lunch at the Crown Hotel, Newton Stewart

–          Afternoon: Wind and solar energy (Gledpark Farm, Borgue, Kirkcudbrightshire, DG6 4SS)

·         East Knockbrex is a new build dairy farm complex located to the southwest of Newton Stewart. The farm unit will support 600 milking cows and will have an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant integrated into its operations. The AD plant at East Knockbrex is planned to be 150kW in size and to be central to the functioning of the dairy operation, supplying both electricity and heat from its combined heat and power (CHP) engine to the dairy unit building and processes. Planning permission and grid connection for the plant have been secured and the plant is planned to be operational by mid to late 2014.

·    Gledpark Farm is a small deer and shorthorn cattle farming enterprise, situated approximately 2.5 kilometres north of Borgue in Dumfries and Galloway. The farm currently has a 6kW wind turbine and a 4kW roof-mounted solar PV array in place which are both fully operational. These installations supply the farm buildings and operations with power, and export any excess generation to the local electricity grid network. The electricity generation from these two sources makes the farm a net energy exporter.

UNION SUPPORT FOR LOCHHEAD VISIT TO BRUSSELS

Need to build on political momentum from AGM

NFU Scotland has written to the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Richard Lochhead, welcoming his visit to Brussels today (17 February) and urging him to build on the new political dynamic that emerged from the Union’s recent AGM.

Political statements at the NFUS event, held in St Andrews on 10 and 11 February, opened the door to the further use of coupled support in Scotland and a commitment to a budget review process in 2016 that could see a fairer allocation of CAP funding across the UK.

Mr Lochhead is meeting the European Commission to discuss Scottish Government’s new proposals for implementing the ‘Scottish clause’ to tackle slipper farming and also its views on a higher rate of voluntary coupled support.

The Union believes there are challenges ahead at Westminster and in Europe if Scotland is to gain the power of coupling support to vulnerable hill farms but, together with effective minimum activity requirements, it is a ‘must win’ for Scotland if Pillar 1 support is to meet its stated purpose.  Determining convergence criteria for the UK budget review will also be hard fought with our partners within these islands. 

Welcoming the Cabinet Secretary’s visit to Brussels, and urging him to keep working on coupling and budget convergence criteria, NFUS President Nigel Miller said:

“In the aftermath of the presentations at our AGM, there is now a new political dynamic.  A door has opened to the further use of coupled support in Scotland and a process for a UK budget allocation review in 2016 is starting to emerge.  That is based on the goal of similar land types in the UK moving to similar area support budgets per hectare. 

“These are significant developments for our industry and offer an invaluable way forward in which the Cabinet Secretary’s input will be crucial if value is to be secured.

“Coupling is a powerful targeting tool, as it can deliver both vital support to active farming where it is most needed and, through budget efficiency, the use of that same tool protects the value of area payments throughout Scotland.

“NFU Scotland has highlighted the risks of active and productive hill farms failing in the rough grazing payment region because of the single, flat rate area payment that has been proposed.  That same approach also overcompensates areas of low intensity, extensive hill grazing.  Coupling part of the rough grazing payment region budget can solve these issues without draining money from low ground support.

“Units with 80 percent rough grazing or more are amongst the highest risk units in Scotland – physically constrained and financially exposed to volatility in markets and input costs, and now many of the most active are facing significant reductions in direct support receipts.  Focusing explicit coupled support on this group of farms can help to close the rough grazing support gap.  That focus can secure hill ewes, hill cattle and communities in remoter and disadvantaged areas. 

“The issue of the UK’s convergence dividend was also a key theme at our AGM.  The concept of equivalent support for equivalent land classes is hard to argue against in a UK context. 

“At our AGM, Defra Farming Minister George Eustice laid out broad terms of reference for a budget review in 2016 being based primarily on “fairness” and a parity of payments footing.    However, the basis of convergence is not fixed, and it must be defined clearly before this process can be taken forward.  It is important that Richard Lochhead and his officials engage with Defra and the other devolved administrations to bolt down regionalisation, land equivalence standards, and budget weighting as the foundation of that essential review process.” 

Scotland’s agriculture sector is ideally placed to contribute towards Scotland’s low carbon economy.

Rural Affairs and Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead today launched the Agri-Renewables Strategy for Scotland to contribute to a cleaner and greener country.

Six key areas are identified to aid the development of renewables on farms:

• community involvement and benefits – ensuring that local communities benefit from the generation of on-farm renewable energy
• skills and advice – support available in considering renewables developments and increasing confidence to proceed with projects
• planning and consents – explains actions being taken to streamline the planning system, including online advice and guidance
• grid connection – sets out the long term aim to ensure Scotland can benefit from a flexible system accommodating increased use of renewables
• finance and technology costs – outlines the range of support in place to encourage growth in the agri-renewables market, and future investment and innovation
• research and innovation – reaffirms our support for research and innovation in renewables, and highlights achievements and activity in this field

The Scottish Government will continue to work with the agriculture industry and other key stakeholders to develop agri-renewables and help those who want to install renewable technologies.

Mr Lochhead said:

“Scotland has massive green energy potential and in many ways leads the way when it comes to implementing and using our natural resources for our own benefit.

“Farmers and crofters have access to our nation’s abundance of natural resources and are ideally placed to contribute towards Scotland’s low carbon economy. I’m confident that this strategy can help them introduce agri-renewable technologies best suited to local circumstances.

“Our climate is changing and we must be ready to face and adapt to the important challenges ahead. Introducing agri-renewable schemes will not only ensure a sustainable future for the industry, but also see communities benefit from green energy generation.

“I look forward to seeing farmers and crofters across Scotland making the most of our natural resources and helping us transform the way Scotland produces and uses its energy.”

Chris Morris from Local Energy Scotland said:

“We welcome the publication of the agri-renewables strategy that will support farmers and crofters to take action and realise the vast potential benefits from renewable energy.

“We hope the case studies within the strategy will inspire others to act and take advantage of the CARES advice and loans enabling them to generate their own energy locally.”

Stephanie Clark, Policy Manager for Scottish Renewables, said:

“According to recent figures almost £20 million of renewable electricity is being generated every year by Scottish businesses, farmers, public sector organisations and homeowners. With a new Agri-Renewables Strategy in place we are hopeful this level of investment could increase over the coming years.

“More and more businesses and homeowners are turning to renewable energy devices such as wind turbines, solar panels, small-scale hydro and heat pumps to reduce energy bills and lower their carbon footprint. This kind of move towards generating energy on-site makes a positive contribution towards Scotland’s target of generating the equivalent of 100 per cent of our electricity needs and 11 per cent of our heat demand from renewables by 2020.”

Agri-Renewables Strategy for Scotland: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2014/02/7600

Scotland’s first three Climate Change Focus Farms, part of the Scottish Government’s Farming for a Better Climate programme, saved almost £60,000 between them over the past three years and two of the businesses reduced their carbon footprint by at least 10 per cent: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Reaping-the-rewards-5db.aspx

Local Energy Scotland website: http://www.localenergyscotland.org/

Scotland’s famers have been given clarity from the European Commission on two key areas of CAP implementation today in Brussels.

In a brief meeting between Scotland’s Farming Minister Richard Lochhead and Commissioner Ciolos today, the Commissioner endorsed the Scottish Government’s solution to slipper farming and gave the green light to the UK Government to increase coupled support for Scottish farmers.

The Scottish Government will now seek urgent confirmation from the UK Government on how much additional coupled support Scotland will be permitted to use, with 13% being the amount requested by Mr Lochhead in a recent letter to DEFRA Minister Owen Paterson.

Speaking immediately after the meeting, Mr Lochhead said:

“It is good news for all the hard working farmers in Scotland that the EU have given their backing to our plan to stamp out slipper farming.

“Under our plans, land on which there is no activity will be ineligible for payments under the new CAP from 2015. It has been a priority for us to ensure that only active farmers benefit and we have worked hard to find a solution. Scottish Government officials will now work with the Commission to confirm the final details.

“I am also delighted that the Commissioner has given the green light to flexibility within the Member State on coupled payments thereby confirming what we understood to be the case.

“The UK allowing increased coupled support in Scotland will make a huge difference to our beef farmers in particular, and I have already written to the UK Government requesting that the option to increase coupled support to 13% be made available to us. UK Ministers have already committed to increasing our ceiling on coupled support and now we need them to come good on their promise. However, we must remember that giving Scotland the option to increase our coupled support will not cost the rest of the UK a penny as it only allows us greater flexibility in how we use our own budgets.

“I will be following this up urgently to get confirmation from the UK now we know the EU is on side.”