Biofuel schemes in the pipeline

SCHEMES to support the purchase of specialised biomass harvesting and processing machinery, and the planting of short-rotation willow coppice as a source of energy, are likely to be announced shortly by the Department of Agriculture and Food.

Minister Mary Coughlan said she is in consultation with the Minister for Finance on these two new schemes, and hoped to be able to make an announcement on the initiatives soon.

“The whole area of biofuels presents an important opportunity for the agricultural sector, one that we must be ready to pursue actively and effectively in the future,” she told the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food.