New range of LESSE equipment

County Carlow-based agricultural engineering firm, Grass Technology has built their reputation on service and quality, enabling them to swiftly grow to become the European market-leader in zero-grazing machinery in only eight years of trading.

Now, with a growing product range to include grass seeder and all-in-one beet washing and chopping system, Grass Technology has set their sights on innovation within the slurry handling market, and have already made a significant impact despite the challenges beset by the coronavirus pandemic.

In light of the third tranche of the Tier 1 capital grant scheme in Northern Ireland, which opened for applications at the start of the month, Grass Technology is encouraging Northern Irish farmers to avail of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme in order to upgrade their slurry handling systems. This scheme provides up to 40% grant funding for the purchase of equipment and machinery and a budget of £7.5m has been allocated by DAERA.

With low emission slurry spreading equipment (LESSE) becoming mandatory for contractors and certain farmers, this equipment is being prioritised in the latest tranche of Tier 1.

Seeking to create new standards, Grass Technology is proud to offer full specifications on their standard slurry tankers. That means every tanker will be fitted with: full sight-glass, 13,500 litre vacuum pump, internal baffles, recessed wheels, stepped commercial axles and chassis-mounted premium quality dribble bar or trailing shoe. The tanker range starts from 1600 gallons and goes right up to 3500 gallons, with many already on-farm across the country. Standard tankers are available in green paint or galvanised, but additional colours are available on request.

The Grass Technology dribble bar and trailing shoe can be retrofitted to any existing tanker and with a large catalogue of successful retrofits, Grass Technology is recognised as the retrofitting specialists! Each dribble bar and trailing shoe is made to the highest quality standards which unrivalled performance. The Alrena Precision Macerator is manufactured by Bomech, a Dutch company with more than four decades of expertise. This macerator boasts a total of twelve self-sharpening blades, ensuring no debris is too much to shred, including plastic and wood. The Alrena macerator also has an “auto-reverse” function as standard. This means if pressure builds up due to a blockage, the blades will cut in the opposite direction in order to clear it, and this will continue to alternate direction until the obstruction is removed. All along, you will be able to monitor and operate everything from the in-cab touch screen control box.

The Grass Technology dribble bar has a standard operating width of 7.5m (with larger options available), and the booms are made of lightweight, reinforced steel and equipped with full spring breakaways, both in the working position and the upright transport position. The pipes have 40mm radius, maintaining a steady even flow at all times, and the whole system is chassis-mounted for optimum fit and durability.

Under DAERA’s current Nutrient Action Plan, all slurry contractors in NI will have to use LESSE from 1 February 2021. A year later, from 1 February 2022, around 1,100 farmers in NI who have over 200 livestock units (20,000kg N for pig farms) will no longer be able to use splash plates.

Now is the time to consider the best system to adopt on your farm, and how to get the most value from the available grants. David McArdle is Grass Technology’s representative serving Northern Ireland, and is available to advise and guide you as you consider your options. Please call David on 079 8351 5331 or email [email protected]

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