Minister’s pledge on renewable energy incentives

The government has pledged to look again at ways of encouraging more farmers to set up renewable energy projects.

Ministers are keen that farmers generate energy by setting up their own wind turbines and on-farm anaerobic digestion units.

But Feed-in Tariff rates rewarding farmers who embark on such projects have proved too low for many producers – especially when it comes to anaerobic digestion.

Junior DEFRA minister Lord Henley said he was in talks with the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) regarding the issue.

“I am a very great believer in anaerobic digestion,” Lord Henley told the Northern Farming Conference on Friday (15 October).

Anaerobic digestion was a particularly efficient way of creating energy from food waste, he told delegates at Newcastle Racecourse.

“We want to do what we can,” said Lord Henley. “That obviously will in due course with DECC mean looking at feed-in tariffs and a whole range of other things.

“We have given a commitment that we will encourage anaerobic digestion.”

Diverting food waste from landfill into anaerobic digestion units had wider benefits for farmers in addition to creating energy.

“Not only are you getting rid of the waste, you are producing a digestate that can be spread on fields and you are getting a gas that can be used for energy.

Getting feed-in tariff rates would be crucial in achieving this, said Lord Henley.

“There will be further discussions between myself and my colleagues at DECC,” he added.