It is envisaged that the TAMS II Tillage Measure will be open to applications at the earliest possible opportunity, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture has told Agriland.
Investments on tillage farms were brought in under the TAMS scheme last year by the then Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney.
Speaking at the announcement of the scheme Minister Coveney said that the scheme would help tillage farmers deal with price volatility.
“We would like to fund improved grain storage facilities, ventilation, improved drying of grain, so they can hold onto grain longer to give them more negotiation power as well as drying it down to lower moisture so they can store it on farms longer,” he said.
It has also been speculated that precision and low impact tillage equipment for arable crop farmers will also be grant aided.
Tillage farmers expressed anger when it was revealed that little support was provided for them under the original TAMS II farm building schemes.
While other sectors could avail of significant grants for a host of different infrastructural projects, tillage farmers voiced their disappointment with little in the way of sector specific eligible items in their field.
The TAMS II suite of measures provide farmers with grant aid to improve and/or build a specific range of farm buildings or purchase equipment that may benefit their farm businesses.
The TAMS II scheme operates under a tranche system with approximately three-month tranches opening regularly under each individual sector and will continue to invite applications until 2020.
Under the scheme, farmers will be able to avail of grant aid of 40% with eligible young farmers entitled to grant aid of 60% for the equipment.