The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has called for final confirmation from the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue on whether or not dribble bars will be included in the new Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) for 2023.
IFA Rural Development chairman, Michael Biggins has said there is now an urgent need for clarification on the inclusion of dribble bar slurry equipment.
As the deadline for the final tranche of TAMS II approaches on December 16, Biggins has once again called on the agriculture minister to confirm the inclusion of dribble bars.
Dribble bars
“Dribble bars have proved to be a very popular investment item among farmers since their inclusion under TAMS and have played a significant part in reducing ammonia emissions from slurry spreading,” Biggins said.
The association has said that farmers often prefer dribble bars, as they are suitable for tractors with lower horsepower (hp), can be can be easily retrofitted to existing tankers, and will work on slurry that is drier in nature.
“Trailing shoe slurry tankers require higher horsepower tractors, burning more diesel to drive them and are not suitable for rougher land on which dribble bars will still operate,” Biggins added.
“Removing dribble bars from the list of eligible TAMS investments would be a significant step backwards from an environmental point of view and will discourage many farmers from investing in Low Emissions Slurry Spreading (LESS) equipment.”
The IFA chair has said that many farmers have delayed applying with LESS equipment in order to avail of the higher grant rate and revised costings for LESS equipment expected under the new TAMS scheme, which is set to open early next year.
“With tranche 28 of the current TAMS II due to close on Friday, December 16, it’s vital that farmers receive clarification as soon as possible,” he concluded.
Previously, DAFM has stated to Agriland:
“In relation to TAMS III, changes to the support for capital investments including any new investments are subject to a Rural Development Plan [RDP] amendment and commission approval.
“Once the RDP amendment is approved, grant rates, investment lists and terms and conditions relating to schemes can be finalised and published.”
However, there is still no clarity on a timeframe for this.