Details of tranche 2 of the Dairy Equipment Scheme were announced last week by the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney.

The Minister said Tranche 2 of the Dairy Equipment Scheme is now open to applications and the closing date is March 25, 2016.

A total of 778 applications were received for the first tranche of the Dairy Equipment Scheme in TAMS II. The first tranche of this scheme closed on October 16, 2015.

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

The specific areas of investment will include milking machines, milk cooling and storage equipment, water heating and in-parlour feeding systems.

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

The Minister has announced that an indicative allocation of €50m was being made available under the terms of the Dairy Equipment Scheme over the full RDP period to 2020.

The specific areas of investment will include milking machines, milk cooling and storage equipment, water heating and in-parlour feeding systems.

The online application system with the Department of Agriculture 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 second tranche of applications will run for three months from the activation of the online system, closing in early October.

Grant aid will not be paid for (a) second-hand materials or equipment or (b) work carried out by contractors who do not comply with the tax clearance requirements laid down in paragraph 9 of the scheme.

List of eligible investments

Queries of a technical nature relating to the specifications should be submitted by email to the following email address [email protected]