The initial focus of the fund will be on ‘on-farm’ renewables such as the installation of solar panels, wind turbines, battery storage systems, anaerobic digesters and other technologies which aim to reduce emissions while also addressing the impacts of rising energy costs.

The fund will be supported on the ground by newly appointed Agri Sustainability Manager, Paul Clingan. A career banker with 30 years’ experience at Danske Bank, Paul has worked in various roles, both in retail and business banking, and has been a key member of the Agri team at Danske Bank for the past 15 years.

Danske Bank’s new fund is also designed to help agri customers accelerate their climate transition journey by enabling them to tap into the resource and expertise available within the bank’s in-house sustainability team.

Rodney Brown, Head of Agribusiness at Danske Bank UK, said:

“This fund marks the next step in Danske Bank’s commitment to help our customers become more sustainable. Many of our agri-business customers know they need to act and we believe that as their bank, with our own sustainability team here in Belfast, that we are well placed to help them put their plans into action.

“Danske Bank is very conscious of the important role we can play in financing the transition to a more sustainable future. We have set ourselves a target of being operationally Net Zero by 2030 – but it will be through supporting the sustainability approach of our customers, that we will make the greatest impact.”

Paul Clingan, Agri Sustainability Manager at Danske Bank, added:

“Sustainability issues are increasingly a key feature of the conversations I have been having with our agri and farming customers. Many want to introduce more sustainable technologies into their working practices and this new fund aims to encourage and support them to make those good intentions a reality.

“I look forward to speaking with many more customers about how the Agri Sustainability Fund could not only benefit the environment but also provide a boost to their business at a time when costs for energy and materials is high.”