Irish Distillers Launches Enviroflex Partnership with Bank of Ireland Providing Sustainability-Linked Loans to Tillage Farmers
Irish Distillers is partnering with Bank of Ireland to offer Enviroflex sustainability-linked loans to tillage farmers for the very first time. Enviroflex loans are designed to incentivise farmers to continue implementing sustainability focused improvements on their land, with Bank of Ireland having already developed a wide range of successful Enviroflex partnerships across the dairy sector throughout 2024.
Irish Distillers is now the first to partner with Bank of Ireland to support the roll-out of Enviroflex loans to the tillage sector, with sustainability-linked financing now available to participants of Irish Distillers’ Sustainable Green Spring Barley Scheme.
The Sustainable Green Spring Barley Scheme, launched in 2020, is a tailored sustainability programme for barley growers to support the long-term viability of the spring barley sector in Ireland by incentivising and rewarding growers for delivering environmental and biodiversity initiatives on their farms. The programme is founded on three major commitments:
- Enhancing biodiversity on Irish tillage farms
- Improving the sustainability of the spring barley sector
- Supporting farmers in reducing their carbon footprint.
When growers meet the requirements of implementing eight essential measures, an additional financial incentive is provided to those growers. Growers in the programme also choose three out of seven initiatives that have a direct and positive impact on biodiversity.
Graham Caulwell, Head of Sustainability and Compliance, Irish Distillers commented: “Irish Distillers has a proud history of buying quality grain from Irish farmers to produce our whiskeys and we are committed to working in partnership with our suppliers to respond to the challenges of climate change and support sustainable agriculture through initiatives such as our Sustainable Green Spring Barley Scheme. We are proud to partner with Bank of Ireland to provide further funding options to tillage farmers to support our shared goal of improving our collective environmental footprint through new practices and innovative technologies and supporting the economic viability of barley growing in Ireland.”
Eoin Lowry, Bank of Ireland Head of Agri Sector said: “Bank of Ireland is delighted to launch this new Enviroflex partnership with Irish Distillers, the first time these loans have been made available to tillage farmers, and further supporting our stated ambition to make this product more widely available across the agriculture industry. A vast number of dairy farmers looking to enhance their farms sustainability have already availed of Enviroflex loans, and we now look forward to working with Irish Distillers to reward tillage farmers who implement more sustainable farming practises with discounted finance options.”
ENDS
Further information and how to apply: Bank of Ireland Enviroflex