The Department of Agriculture has earmarked €17m for a new pig and poultry scheme under TAMS II.

The Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme is open to all farmers who meet the eligibility criteria, offering a standard rate of 40% on investment up to a ceiling of €80,000.

The first tranche of applications will run for three months, closing towards the end of October, the Department said.

The Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, said that this investment of €17m reflects his Department’s ongoing commitment to the growth potential of this important sector and to the modernisation of farming in Ireland.

“I hope that pig and poultry farmers will look very seriously at the opportunities offered by this new scheme,” he said.

All applications must be made online, it said, either by the farmer or an adviser authorised to act on his or her behalf.

Areas of investment available include:

  • Medicine dispenser units.
  • Water meters.
  • Solar panels.
  • Heat recovery units/heat pumps,
  • Energy efficient boilers.
  • Feed system upgrades (for medication reduction and energy efficiency).
  • Energy efficient upgrade for farrowing house.
  • Weaner housing and fattener housing.
  • Poultry house.
  • Disease reduction facilities for existing poultry houses.

A total of €395m has been made available for TAMS II schemes over the course of the RDP period, with some €17m earmarked for the pig and poultry sector. The new scheme is being co-funded by the EU.