Further details have emerged about the dedicated scheme for female farmers as part of the new Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3).
The Woman Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS) is not yet accepting applications but it is expected that it will open during this tranche of TAMS.
The scheme will allow women to access enhanced grant funding to make investments on their farm in order to benefit their business.
Data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reported that just 13% of farm holders in Ireland in 2020 were female.
The new TAMS, which will be in place for five years with a budget of €370 million, consists of 10 different schemes which will be opened on a phased basis over the coming weeks.
The first tranche for all schemes is anticipated to close in mid-June with applications then undergoing a ranking and selection process.
Scheme
The Woman Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS) will be available to female farmers at a 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling.
In response to questions from Agriland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) confirmed that the new scheme will be open to eligible female farmers who are aged between 18 and 66 at any time during the calendar year in which an application for support is submitted.
The department said that the upper age limit was applied to the scheme to “encourage generational renewal”.
Women who apply for WFCIS must meet the conditions of being the head and having control of the farm.
Where a female farmer is farming with others, the department will require a declaration that she has “effective and long term control” in terms of management decisions, benefits and financial risks on the farm, either solely or jointly with other members of the partnership.
“As with the Young Farmers Scheme, where the woman is farming in a joint venture, all members of the joint venture must be eligible,” the DAFM spokesperson added.
Training
The department said that applicants for WFCIS will have to meet the required appropriate training and/or skills within 36 months from the date they are approved in order to avail of the 20% top up payment.
In the event that this deadline is missed the grant aid will be paid at the standard 40% rate.
It is understood that the department is proposing that the educational requirements would be the same as the courses listed in the Young Farmers Capital investment Scheme (YFCIS).
However, the DAFM spokesperson noted that “if the applicant has control of the enterprise in 2022 or before, then there will be no requirement for educational qualifications for entry to the scheme”.
The list of investments and reference costs for the scheme is available on the DAFM website.