Renewable energy grain drier support cash under threat
After what many farmers believe has been the wettest harvest for the past 30 years, a proposal to remove support cash from grain driers fuelled by renewable heat sources has produced a sharp response from NFU Scotland.
The proposal emerging from an Ofcom consultation on the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) suggested removing grain driers from this support scheme.
But union policy manager Gemma Cooper’s view was this would be a negative move.
“Many farmers have invested heavily in drying systems based on the RHI, which the government put in place to bridge the gap between costlier renewable heating systems and conventional alternatives,” she said. “Such investments have been made because grain drying was listed as an ‘eligible use’ for RHI, and would have been unlikely to have occurred without it.”
She added: “RHI has allowed farmers to change to more eco-friendly drying systems, with huge savings in terms of gas or oil used and carbon dioxide emissions. Drying as an eligible heat use is something which the government must retain”. She also pointed out that, as farmers are paid on weight for their grain, there was little incentive for abuse. Any over-drying would lead to lighter weights and less revenue.
“Farmers only dry if necessary but during this year’s harvest, with grain sometimes being cut at more than 30 per cent moisture content, efficient drying through Rhi-supported dryers was vital.”