At a time when farms are encouraged to invest in solar panels, wind turbines and biogas plants, where is the logic in a slurry grant that instead encourages farmers to use fossil-fuelled tractors to perform tasks that could be carried out using renewable energy?
So says pump and mixer manufacturer Landia, who strongly question the grant eligibility criteria for mixing equipment for slurry stores over 1,200 m3, which they claim excludes all but one maker.
‘A pretty spectacular snub to all things environmental’
“Despite all the proven efficiencies that we and other manufacturers can provide,” said Landia’s Howard Burton, “the specification demands, for example, that an impeller’s diameter must be 600mm, and have upper and lower jetting nozzles. This doesn’t give farmers a fair choice. It is a total nonsense to discourage farms from selecting equipment that best suits their needs and their budgets – and ties up their manpower and expensive tractors too.”
He added: “Several farmers have told us that they do not want their tractor lumbered with these duties anyway. Tractor-driven mixing equipment might be cheaper to buy than electrically-driven alternatives, but a grant that very specifically demands a two-jetter machine (only available with a Power Take Off/PTO drive), run by a tractor is, in 2026, a pretty spectacular snub to all things environmental.
‘Being pushed to burn up fossil fuel’
“Unless that tractor uses Biodiesel (sadly, only in a very small number of cases), it will be burning fossil fuels. Even if it is running on renewable biodiesel, it still ties up the tractor and farm manpower. Compare that to a farm with wind turbines, biogas plant and/or solar panels that could use its renewable energy at source. We don’t understand why farms, rather than being helped to reduce their carbon footprint, are being pushed to burn up fossil fuel from a tractor that has far better uses!”
He continued: “Farmers also want equipment longevity and value for money. In covered tanks containing pig slurry, the tractor-powered equipment’s galvanised steel will be attacked by H2S (hydrogen sulphide), leading to premature failure. This cannot happen with our mounting equipment, because it is made from stainless steel. Even in this aggressive environment, we would expect 20-plus years of service.”
Burton also says that whilst the lower level of funding (£3800) will be available to farmers purchasing electric submersible propeller mixers, the higher-level grant (£8000) for tanks over 1,200m3 – needs – for the sake of all farmers – an urgent review.
