Lang Lang poultry farm Austong International is improving its sustainability with a $29,250 Victorian Government’s Agriculture Energy Investment Plan (AEIP) grant.
The program is supporting Victorian agribusinesses to improve their productivity by exploring new ways to be more energy efficient.
Bass MP Jordan Crugnale and Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas visited Austong International on Tuesday 10 May to see how the business has used the grant to upgrade a refrigeration system for the ‘Daily Fresh Eggs’ – where eggs are produced each day for supermarkets.
The new refrigeration system is expected to generate up to $6,169 in on-farm energy savings per annum.
Austong International General Manager Karen Li said the grant safeguards the quality of the eggs and boosts energy savings.
“The Victorian Government’s Agriculture Energy Investment Plan grant has enabled us to upgrade our refrigeration system, ensuring our coolroom can now maintain constant temperatures,“ she said.
Ms Crugnale said the program was a great initiative.
“It supports businesses to become more climate resilient and productive which in turn is good for local jobs and our local economy,“ she said.
Ms Thomas said she was proud to back businesses like Austong International to be more sustainable into the future.
“Our farmers are leading the way when it comes to adapting to the changing climate and becoming more energy efficient on farm,“ she said.
Since its establishment in 2018, the AEIP has provided free on-farm energy assessments, a grants program, research and demonstrations of energy efficient technology to support farm businesses.
To date, the AEIP has provided more than 1,300 free on-farm energy assessments and a total of 650 grants worth more than $38 million.
The Agriculture Energy Investment Plan is part of the Government’s 10-year Agriculture Strategy to build a more resilient, energy efficient and internationally competitive sector that is well-placed to respond to climate change.
For more information on the Agriculture Energy Investment Plan, visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/
On The Land, pages 56-57
