The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has called for Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS) to be extended to include eligibility for all farmers concerning the trailing shoe grant.
Applicants farming at or above 170kg of nitrogen/ha in the year of application or the preceding year are ineligible to apply for any Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS) equipment.
Chair of the ICMSA Farm Business Committee Pat O’Brien called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue to “go one hugely positive step further” to extend the grant to farmers regardless of stocking rate.
“The ‘trailing shoe’ system of low emission slurry spreading has multiple environmental benefits, but it is an extremely expensive piece of equipment for any one individual which also requires a large tractor to operate it effectively.
“It represents a very significant investment for any farmer and realistically a grant towards its purchase is absolutely necessary and completely justified on the basis of delivering a public good – as well as for the farmers,” O’Brien said.
TAMS
Meanwhile, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has called for the reinstatement of the dribble bar grant aid TAMS.
“Minister McConalogue removed the dribble bar from the list of eligible investments under TAMS, despite its proven ability to reduce emissions compared to the traditional splash plate.
“While the department continues to grant-aid the trailing shoe, this ignores the reality that many farmers – especially those with smaller-powered tractors, heavier soils, or hilly farms – simply cannot operate a trailing shoe because of its weight and the ground conditions,” McNamara said.
The use of LESS equipment has become compulsory on farms stocked at 100kg N/ha or above from January 1, 2025.
ICSA president Seán McNamara has said that this adds “major financial burden” to farmers needing to upgrade in the new year, after using splash plates in the past.
“A trailing shoe is a heavy and difficult machine to use on anything other than good, flat, even ground. Crucially, it cannot be retrofitted to an existing tanker, meaning many farmers would have to invest in an entirely new system,” McNamara added.
McNamara said that the dribble bar should be reintroduced as a “retrofitting option” or as part of a “new tanker purchase”.