Coveney Launches New €50m Dairy Equipment Scheme

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, and Minister of State Tom Hayes TD, have announced the opening of the new TAMS II Dairy Equipment Scheme which is the second of the new Targeted Modernisation Schemes (TAMS II) to be launched under the new Rural Development Programme 2014 – 2020. The Scheme is co-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

Speaking today on the farm of Tom Walsh in Cork, Minister Coveney said “I am delighted to announce the opening of this very important Scheme which will directly support the development of modern and forward-looking dairy-enterprises on farms across the country. I want to ensure that farmers have access to the most up-to-date technology to enable them compete in the modern dairy sector and to bring the highest quality product to market.”

The Ministers announced that an indicative allocation of €50m was being made available under the terms of this Scheme over the full RDP period. The total allocation for the various on farm investment Schemes planned under TAMS II, including the Dairy Equipment Scheme, is €395m over the course of the programme.

The Scheme is open to all farmers who meet the general eligibility criteria, offering a standard rate of aid of 40%.

Minister Hayes said “the specific areas of investment will include milking machines, milk cooling and storage equipment, water heating and in-parlour feeding systems. I encourage all farmers thinking of investing to study the terms & conditions carefully to see how the new Scheme could benefit them”. 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 will go-live after a week, to allow time for farmers and advisors to familiarise themselves fully with the detail of the new Scheme before drawing up applications. The first tranche of applications will run for three months from the activation of the online system, closing in early October.

Minister Coveney said he would be making further announcements in the coming weeks on the launch of the remaining TAMS Schemes, including the new Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme which is also being prioritised for early opening.