A TAMS II scheme for tillage farmers, the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme, has been launched by the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed.
The scheme came into operation on March 8, 2017 and will close for applications on December 31, 2020.
It is jointly funded by the European Union and the national exchequer and the financial allocation for the scheme will top out at €26m.
According to the Department, grant aid will only be paid on approved, completed and eligible expenditure and will be paid at a rate of 40% up to the applicable maximum investment ceiling of €80,000 per holding.
In the case of an application by two or more eligible partners, in a Department-registered partnership, the maximum eligible investment ceiling will be increased to €160,000.
Multiple applications per tranche are permissible. However, the minimum amount of investment which is eligible for approval under this Scheme is €2,000 per application.
Like a number of other TAMS II schemes, applications that receive approval and payment for investment works, at the maximum ceiling of €80,000, will not be eligible to apply for grants under any other TAMS II schemes.
However, this excludes applications under the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS), which is not subject to the ceiling.
Am I eligible to apply?
According to the Department, the scheme is open to farmers who have a minimum of 15ha of eligible crops declared under the Basic Payment Scheme, or equivalent, in the year of application or previous year.
Applicants are also required to have a Department ‘identifier’.
What’s available under the scheme?
Under the scheme, grant aid is available for a range of items, including grain stores, GPS machinery controls, sprayers and grain treatment equipment.
A full list of the items, available for grant aid eligible under the scheme, can be seen below.
Investment * = 12 months from the date of issue of approval to the completion of investment and the submission of a payment claim.
Investment # = 6 months from the date of issue of approval to the completion of investment and the submission of a payment claim.
A full list of terms and conditions are available Here