The exclusion of dribble bars from the list of eligible investments in the latest Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) is a “glaring omission”, according to one farm organisation.
The new TAMS 3 will run for five years and has 10 individual schemes including the Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) Equipment Scheme.
Grant aid under LESS will be paid at a rate of 60% with the maximum level of investment eligible for grant-aid set at a ceiling of €90,000.
The specific types of equipment that are eligible for the LESS equipment scheme in TAMS 3 include:
However, dribble bar slurry equipment has not been included in TAMS 3 which the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) said will disappoint farmers.
According to the association some farmers prefer dribble bars because they are suitable for tractors with lower horsepower and can be can be easily retrofitted to existing tankers. They will also work on slurry that is drier in nature.
Michael Biggins, IFA’s rural development chair, said overall, TAMS 3 is “positive”, and he has encouraged farmers who may be considering on-farm investment to review the list of eligible investments.
But he added:
“One of the glaring omissions from TAMS 3 is the removal of dribble bars from the list. They were hugely popular in TAMS 2 and with a clear need to meet our emissions ceiling, the move to exclude them doesn’t make sense.
“Trailing shoes are not suitable for use on many smaller farms. Removing dribble bars will now force those farmers to use contractors who are already overstretched at key slurry-spreading times of the year,” he said.
Biggins said the government had previously grant-aided dribble bars “for farmers in derogation to meet their mandatory obligations” in the LESS equipment scheme.
“Yet now as thresholds for using LESS lower, they decide to exclude dribble bars and force those farming at much lower intensity levels towards more expensive LESS options.
“We are asking the minister to revisit this and look at including dribble bars in the next tranche of TAMS 3,” he added.
The IFA’s rural development chair also highlighted that any farmer who had “maximised” their investment ceiling under TAMS 2 “now had a clean slate again in TAMS 3 with higher investment ceilings”.
Biggins added: “While the terms and conditions are yet to be released, TAMS 3 appears more comprehensive than its predecessor and will lead to significant increase in demand, particularly in the likes of solar.
“This increase in demand will need to be matched with similar ambition in terms of funding to ensure farmers of all sectors and sizes are able to get financial support under TAMS.”