Up to the end of March 2022, in excess of €348m was paid out under TAMS II (Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme II), Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said.
This means that farmers have yet to draw down €128m in grant aid committed to them by the Department of Agriculture. As such, significant funds approved for investments have yet to be utilised by farmers.
A study of costings is currently under way. The revised costings effective from 24 July 2021 were only confirmed to be in place for tranches 23, 24 and 25.
Figures released in March indicated that low-emission slurry spreading (LESS) equipment accounted for 62% of machinery applications approved and drawn down under TAMS II since the scheme began. The average grant for LESS equipment has gone down every year from 2018.
Minister McConalogue confirmed said the average payment for TAMS II grant-aided LESS equipment was €8,790 this year, €760 less than the €9,550 average payment for such machines in the period from 2016 to date.
He also shared that a rise in the threshold of TAMS for pig and poultry farmer investments may be made in tranche 26. This would see the pig and poultry sectors TAMS ceiling lifted from €80,000 to €200,000. The Minister was “confident” that pigs could be reared in the TAMS-funded housing without the need for tail docking.
He said that a new round of TAMS would soon be launched, and that this scheme offers farmers up to €200,000 towards new pig housing infrastructure.
LSL Auctions. LSL News.