Northern Ireland feed manufacturer reduces carbon emissions

After converting its large fuel supply to natural gas, Fane Valley Feeds has since reported the substantial reduction in carbon emissions and has also improved energy efficiency. The Omagh-based Bankmore Mill recently connected to the mains gas network which is now available to business and domestic customers in the major towns in the western area of Northern Ireland.

Part of the Fane Valley Co-operative Society, Fane Valley Feeds is one of Northern Ireland’s largest feed manufacturers with both their production sites in Omagh and Newry currently running on natural gas. The purpose-built Omagh mill located in the new SGN Natural Gas network, commenced production in 2010 and is one of the most modern animal feed production facilities in Europe. The Omagh facility manufactures over 250,000 tonnes of animal feed annually, supplying customers throughout Northern Ireland and in the border region in the Republic of Ireland. An £18 million investment including on-site laboratory facilities, underlined their commitment to the Northern Ireland livestock industry. The plants manufacture a number of feeds across the dairy, beef, sheep, pig and poultry sectors.

The recent connection by Fane Valley Feeds to the natural gas network in Omagh is aimed at helping them become an even more sustainable business for the future. Ronan McCanny, Fane Valley Feeds operations director, said: “Fane Valley Feeds is part of the Fane Valley Co-operative Society which has a number of businesses now connected to natural gas. “Our Newry site was connected previously to the network there and we warmly welcome the recent switch-over to the new state-of-the-art network recently available to us in Omagh. Now both sites within the Feeds business are running on natural gas.

“Our approach is one of ongoing continuous improvement. We constantly seek to improve efficiencies throughout all of our processes. Converting the fuel supply to our boilers from oil to natural gas has lowered our carbon emissions by 34 percent and improved our energy efficiency,” he added.

Jamie Cunningham, key account manager at SGN Natural Gas, said: “Natural gas has a wide range of significant benefits including helping businesses reduce their carbon footprint on the environment and making them more competitive in global markets. “We are pleased that a number of key industrial connections in the network including Fane Valley Feeds have placed their confidence in natural gas as the new fuel of choice for both business and domestic consumers in the major towns in the western area of Northern Ireland.”