Keenan – a well-known company with a manufacturing site in Co. Carlow – has become the “first manufacturer of diet feeders to be accredited by the Carbon Trust”.

The announcement – that its ‘green machine’ was bestowed Carbon Trust certification – was made at the company’s open day. The open day took place today (Tuesday, June 18) at its manufacturing base in Borris, Co. Carlow.

According to a statement from Keenan, the Carbon Trust identified the machine as a “more sustainable diet feeder, proven to reduce emissions on-farm”.

Commenting on the announcement, Keenan’s general manager, Matt Higgins, said: “Keenan is delighted to offer farmers a tangible means of reducing their carbon footprint on-farm, while enhancing production and profitability.”

Keenan statement

According to the statement, the Carbon Trust has verified that “reduced methane output linked to enhanced rumen performance can come as a result of improved feed conversion efficiency in livestock”.

Continuing, Higgins said: “The animal food supply chain is faced with growing pressures to reduce methane and carbon dioxide emissions.

As concern for our planet’s finite resources escalates, we have a responsibility to be proactive in sourcing solutions and partnerships that can relieve environmental strain and prioritise sustainability on-farm.

“The Carbon Trust accreditation is a powerful endorsement, which enables us to further help farmers to reduce their on-farm carbon footprint, while increasing their profitability,” said Higgins.

Machine line-up

It’s worth noting that Keenan has been a member of the Alltech family of companies since April 2016. Its line-up of feeders now encompasses paddle-type and vertical-auger models; it even includes a self-propelled model – namely the MechFiber 345.