€23.2 million has been paid out in grant-aid from the Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) equipment scheme under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) II.
The scheme was established in 2015 to assist farmers in purchasing new equipment – with distinct environmental advantages – for the spreading of slurry.
The maximum amount of investment eligible for grant-aid under the scheme is €40,000 per holding. However, in the case of a joint application by two or more eligible partners under a registered partnership, the maximum eligible investment is €60,000.
The investment ceiling under this scheme is not subject to the overall TAMS II investment ceiling of €80,000 per holding.
Under the LESS scheme, the following investments (below) are eligible:
- Slurry tank with a trailing shoe;
- Slurry tank with a shallow injection system;
- Slurry tank with a dribble bar;
- Retrofitting a dribble bar to an existing slurry tanker;
- Umbilical system.
Listed (below) is a breakdown of the number of applications made under the scheme to date. According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, 5,742 applications have been made since the scheme’s inception five years ago.
Data source: Department of Agriculture
TAMS payment update
Figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine show that as of June 5, 2020, €219.549 million had been paid out under TAMS II. In total, 14,664 payments have been issued.
Furthermore, 28,726 approvals have been issued to date, with 15,474 payment applications submitted.