Coveney announces launch of €175m tams schemes

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, has announced the opening of two new TAMS II Schemes: the Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme and the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme – LESS – which are the third and fourth of the new Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS) to be launched under the new Rural Development Programme 2014 – 2020. The Schemes are co-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

Speaking today Minister Coveney said “I am delighted to announce the opening of these very important Schemes which will encourage the development of Irish agriculture by providing a range of new investment opportunities to Irish farmers. The benefits of the schemes range from the construction of new animal housing, the provision of nutrient storage facilities and the ever important safety elements to a more environmentally-friendly approach to the spreading of slurry, with knock-on benefits for Ireland’s ammonia and climate targets.”

The Minister announced that an indicative allocation of some €175m was being made available under the terms of these two Schemes over the full RDP period. The total allocation for the various on-farm investment Schemes planned under TAMS II is €395m over the course of the programme.

The Schemes are open to all farmers who meet the general eligibility criteria, offering a standard rate of aid of 40% on investments up to a ceiling of €80,000. Those availing of the LESS scheme, which has an indicative budget of €4m, will be able to avail of an independent ceiling of €40,000 which will not impact on the ceiling of €80,000 across the other TAMS II Schemes. The LESS scheme is designed to complement the related action under GLAS, which specifically encourages the application of slurry using this type of environmentally-friendly technology, which includes shallow injection systems, dribble bars, trailing shoes, as well as umbilical systems, including the base pump lay-flat hose.

Turning to the major new Animal Welfare, Safety and Storage Scheme, Minister Coveney highlighted some of the most important areas of investment now available, which include animal housing, calving pens, manure pits, mass concrete tanks, circular slurry stores and circulation pipes to allow for agitation of slurry, as well as a range of safety elements.

“Following on from the success of the Farm Safety Scheme which saw applications from over 6,000 farmers, I am particularly pleased to be able to re launch the safety component of this new scheme,” Minister Coveney added. “This will give all farmers an opportunity to assess what can be done on their farms to improve safety and save lives on Irish farm”

All applications must be made on-line, either by the farmer or by an adviser authorised to act on his or her behalf. The facility for farmers and advisers to rapidly link via SMS texting is now available, and the Terms and Conditions of the new Scheme can be found on the Department’s website under “Farmer Schemes and Payments”. The online application system for both schemes is being made available immediately. The first tranche of applications will run for three months, closing towards the end of October.

Minister Coveney also announced that the submit-facility had now been activated for the recently launched Dairy Equipment Scheme, enabling farmers to submit their completed applications online from today. He also announced that the two remaining TAMS schemes, which are the Organic Capital Investment Scheme and the Pigs and Poultry Specialised Investment Scheme, will be rolled out over the coming weeks. The full suite of TAMS schemes envisaged under the new RDP will then be open.