Two new TAMS II Schemes: the Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme and the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme – LESS, have been opened by the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney.

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.

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.

Slurry Equipment

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. LESS

Animal Housing

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.

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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.