A Bristol-based dairy farm is set to double productivity after investing in sustainable technology as part of a £785,000 'clean growth' loan.
Located in the heart of Chew Valley, Bickfield Farm produces milk exclusively for The Estate Dairy, which distributes milk to high-end restaurants and cafés across London and Oxford.
The third-generation farm will use the Lloyds Bank loan to implement a new milking parlour to improve production and modernise the milking process.
The state-of-the-art tech will increase the farm’s milking capacity while reducing the overall running time, allowing 50% more cows to be milked during any given period.
Investing in the new milking parlour supports the farm’s long-term sustainability commitment.
The milking process currently accounts for 60% of the farm’s total electricity usage, and by reducing the running time, the business will achieve a 30% energy saving.
What’s more, heat generated from the new technology will pass through a heat exchange system and be used to pre-heat water to support the farm’s cleaning process.
The finance package comes via Lloyds Bank’s Clean Growth Finance Initiative, which provides discounted funding to help businesses transition to a lower carbon, more sustainable future.
Philip Durbin, who runs the farm with his father Maurice, said that in recent years, there had been a growing demand for high-quality local dairy produce from across the region.
"Investing in our new milking parlour will allow us to continue to deliver the very best produce more efficiently," he said.
“Becoming more sustainable remains a key priority for the farm and we’re constantly thinking of ways to reduce waste and become energy-efficient.
"From installing LED lighting to powering the parlour through an on-site solar array during sunny days, we’re committed to lowering our environmental impact.”
Philip’s grandparents moved to Bickfield in August 1930 and his father took over the farm’s operations in 1975.
Since then, the farm has increased its herd to more than 330 cows across 185 hectares.
The new milking parlour is expected to be operational by the end of the year.
