Funding for bulk milk tanks, cooling and heat recovery, washing plant and the ancillary equipment a dairy needs to meet its milk buyer specification.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Yes, and dairy equipment is among the more straightforward agricultural investments to fund because the repayment comes out of a monthly milk cheque rather than a once-a-year harvest cheque. Bulk tanks, plate coolers, ice builders and heat recovery units are all funded on hire purchase. Used tanks change hands regularly. The consideration specific to this equipment is that your milk buyer, not you, effectively sets the specification: cooling times and storage temperatures are contractual, so a tank that does not meet the current requirement has limited value however sound it looks.
Used kit: Yes for bulk tanks and coolers, provided the refrigeration is a currently supported type
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Business asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what this shows — with the equivalent APR underneath, because the two are not the same number. A quick guide only; your actual rate depends on the asset, term, deposit and lender.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 6.0% flat rate (equivalent to 11.5% APR representative), you would repay around £646 a month; total amount repayable approximately £31,000, of which £6,000 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval. CW Asset Finance is an Appointed Representative of Rural Finance Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 630701).
Dairy plant is a hybrid: the tank itself is a substantial piece of equipment with a genuine secondhand market, while the pipework, pumps and wash system are installed into the dairy and have little standalone value. Funders lend comfortably because the milk contract is evidence of income in a way few agricultural enterprises can match, and they will ask for statements. Refrigeration is the area of scrutiny, since a unit running an obsolete refrigerant is difficult to service and therefore difficult to resell. Installation is usually quick enough that staged payments are unnecessary, though the agreement will normally start on commissioning. Level monthly repayments are the natural fit here and seasonal shaping is rarely needed.
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| DeLaval bulk milk tanks | Direct expansion tanks for dairy units |
| DeLaval plate coolers | Pre-cooling plates for milk lines |
| GEA milk cooling systems | Tanks and cooling packs for parlours |
| Fullwood Packo bulk tanks | Bulk milk tanks with wash systems |
| Dairymaster SwiftCool | Bulk tank with rapid milk cooling |
| Fabdec ice builders | Ice bank cooling for instant milk chilling |
| Mueller bulk milk tanks | Large silo tanks for high-yield herds |
| Lely Calm calf feeder | Automatic calf milk feeding station |
| JFC calf hutches | Individual and group calf housing |
| DeLaval cooling heat recovery | Water heating from milk cooling plant |
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Dairy farms whose tank no longer holds the volume after an expansion, herds facing a milk buyer requirement on cooling or blast chilling, and farms replacing plant that has become expensive to repair. The trigger is often a failed cooling check, a buyer changing collection frequency so more milk has to be held, or an old tank whose refrigeration uses a gas that is no longer supported.
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We publish the deals we arrange, with no client named and no rate quoted. See what we have funded in agriculture.
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Indirectly but importantly. If a tank cannot meet your buyer requirement on cooling or storage temperature it is worth much less to the next farm, and a funder values it accordingly. Check the specification you have to meet before you commit to a used tank, not after it is installed.
Often yes, and they are funded regularly. The question is the refrigeration rather than the vessel, because the stainless steel outlasts everything else. Establish which refrigerant the unit runs and whether an engineer will still service it; that single answer determines most of the value.
Yes, where it is supplied and invoiced with the cooling plant. Recovering heat off the milk to preheat washing water is a common addition and funding it alongside the tank keeps it to one agreement. It also strengthens the affordability case because it reduces a running cost.
Usually quickly. Dairy is well understood by agricultural funders, the income is evidenced by milk statements, and the equipment is standard. Provided the accounts are in order and the milk contract is available, this is one of the more routine decisions in farm finance.
Yes, more easily than a building. A bulk tank is a substantial item that can be disconnected and moved, so the fixture question is far less acute than for a parlour pit or a shed. Your landlord may still be asked to acknowledge the equipment, but it is rarely the obstacle it is for construction.
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 07581 364281 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.
Machinery, livestock and land — each with its own page, because each is assessed differently.