Growers are being urged to make sure they are not missing out on the chance to save thousands of pounds through the Climate Change Levy (CCL) agreement negotiated by the NFU.

Growers now registered to get CCL discount are saving an average of £14,000 a year in tax payments, on top of the energy savings associated with the scheme. But if you are not registered to get the discount you need to act fast as new applicants to the current CCL scheme need to be signed up by the end of July.

When the CCL was introduced by Government in 2001 as a new tax to encourage businesses to save energy, many growers saw it as an extra cost they could do without. But thanks to the efforts of the NFU, growers of protected horticultural crops who meet energy saving targets can get an 80 per cent CCL discount – vastly reducing the impact of the tax.

Chris Plackett, from energy experts FEC Services which runs the scheme for the NFU, said: “The current discount arrangements end in 2013 and to meet the rules any new entrants or people wishing to rejoin must start their application process as soon as possible.

“Some growers have been put off joining the scheme because they think it is too complex and are frightened that they won’t meet the energy saving targets. While the targets are challenging, most growers are able to meet them and make significant savings in the process. Even if they don’t meet their target, participants can take part in carbon trading and still save money,” Mr Plackett said.

The NFU CCL scheme service is designed to make life for growers as easy as possible. Once set up, all that is needed is to occasionally send energy meter readings to the team at FEC and they do the rest – even down to making all the arrangements for any carbon trading that might be needed.

Gary Taylor, nursery managing director of Valley Grown Nurseries and vice chairman of the NFU horticulture board, said: “There are savings to be made without spending any money. There are things people can do to optimise the performance of their computers and their computer settings which have a significant effect. Some growers have the tools in place but don’t necessarily use them to their maximum potential. The CCL scheme focuses people’s minds on what is possible to achieve.”

Sarah Fairhurst, quality controller at Porters Horticultural Ltd, said: “The scheme encouraged us to look at our energy costs, to think about how we could improve the way we use energy, and to assess whether savings could be made. We’ve been able to take simple low-cost measures that have saved us energy and, in turn, money. Joining the scheme focused our minds and has made us more aware of energy saving generally.”

Anyone who thinks they may be eligible for the discount should contact FEC on 024 7669 6512 and a member of the CCL scheme team will guide you through the arrangements and tell you what your individual savings might be.