Minister Heydon announces 100% approval of all eligible TAMS 3 Tranche 5 Applications
- Published on: 6 March 2025
- Last updated on: 10 March 2025
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, today announced that 100% of all eligible applications submitted in tranche five of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) will be approved.
Minister Heydon said:
“I want to confirm that all eligible applications submitted in tranche five will receive approval. The vast majority of these applications have undergone an initial examination, so I expect that approvals will start to issue over the coming weeks. A total of 5,823 applications were submitted in this tranche, bringing the total number of applications under TAMS 3 to date to 32,799.”
The Minister also outlined the support available to farmers under TAMS 3 in response to the unprecedented damage caused to the agriculture sector by Storm Éowyn, including through a new, focused tranche to come into effect in mid-March.
Minister Heydon added:
“In acknowledgement of the urgency of the support required, I have decided to open a new TAMS tranche for a three-week period to deal specifically with storm-related damage on farms. This tranche will open immediately after the current tranche has closed on Friday, 7 March 2025, and will close on Friday, 28 March 2025.”
The specific items in respect of which applications will be accepted over this three-week period are as follows:
- Backup PTO Generators
- Sheep, Bovine and Equine Fencing
- Wood / Biomass Chippers; and
- Mulchers
The regular tranche, which will cater for all TAMS applications, will open immediately thereafter on 29 March and will close on the previously advised date of 6 June 2025 and there will be no impact on agreed timelines.
Minister Heydon continued:
“Considering the recent power outages arising from storm damage, I have reviewed the scope of generators supported by TAMS to include all generators, irrespective of the drive mechanism. The grant is targeted at the generator rather than the drive mechanism. While these generators are included as an investment item under the Dairy Equipment Scheme, the investment is open to all farmers who declare the minimum eligibility requirement of five hectares under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) Scheme in the year of application, or preceding year. There is no requirement to be milking cows to be eligible for backup generators under the scheme.
“In addition, with the clean-up ongoing, there is increased demand for woodchippers and mulchers. These are both mobile investments and, as such, a farmer is permitted to purchase the equipment, at their own risk, once they have submitted an online application. The application will then proceed through the normal process.”
Minister Heydon added:
“Significant damage has been inflicted on the farming sector in general, and I would urge farmers to examine the supports available under TAMS. Many farm buildings have been significantly damaged and in some cases, it may be more economic to replace the entire structure. In such cases, it is open to farmers to apply for support for the construction of new buildings under TAMS."
The Minister also highlighted:
“To ensure farms are more resilient in advance of future weather events, I intend to introduce grant aid support under TAMS for replacement of roofs. The application process for this specific investment will be available later this year, when systems are developed. In the meantime, I would urge farmers to carry out a structural assessment of their farm buildings.”
Applications for buildings will be dealt with in the normal manner in the current tranche six, which closes this Friday, 7 March, and in subsequent tranches, due to the necessary planning requirements.
Minister Heydon concluded:
“As this tranche is specifically in place to deal with the effects of Storm Éowyn, I will ensure that all these applications are processed as a priority. The list of investment items will continue to be reviewed on a regular basis. The inclusion of further investment categories will be dependent on the availability of the required funding under the TAMS 3 schemes.”
Notes
TAMS is jointly funded by the National Exchequer and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union under Ireland’s Rural Development Plan 2014-2022 and CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
Under the On-farm Capital Investment Scheme known as TAMS 3 there are 11 individual schemes. These are as follows:
- Animal Welfare, Nutrient Storage Scheme (AWNSS) at 40% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
- Tillage Capital Investment Scheme (TCIS) at 40% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
- Pig and Poultry Capital Investment Scheme (PPIS) at 40% grant rate, with a €500,000 investment ceiling
- Dairy Equipment Scheme (DES) at 40% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
- Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS) at 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
- Women Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS) at 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
- Organic Farming Capital Investment Scheme (OCIS) at 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
- Farm Safety Capital Investment Scheme (FCIS) at 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling
- Solar Capital Investment Scheme (SCIS) at 60% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling that is separate from other schemes
- Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment Scheme (LESS) at 60% grant rate, with a €40,000 investment ceiling that is separate from other schemes
- Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme (NISS) at 70% grant rate, with a €90,000 investment ceiling that is separate from other schemes
Access the full range of investments and Reference Cost Documents.
Queries of a technical nature relating to the specifications should be submitted by email to the following email address: tams@agriculture.gov.ie
For all other TAMS queries contact TAMS 3 Admin on 053 9163425.
Contractors can register their eTC and access code by emailing TAMScontractors@agriculture.gov.ie
Backup generators
Backup generators are available in TAMS under the Dairy Equipment Scheme (DES), Organic Capital Investment Scheme (OCIS), Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS) and Women Farmers Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS).
Fencing
Grant aid for sheep, bovine and equine fencing are available in TAMS under the Animal Welfare Nutrient Storage Scheme (AWNSS), Organic Capital Investment Scheme (OCIS), Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS) and Women Farmers Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS).
Wood / Biomass Chippers & Mulchers
Wood / Biomass Chipper - PTO driven are available in TAMS under Biomass equipment in the Animal Welfare Nutrient and Storage Scheme (AWNSS), Organic Capital Investment Scheme (OCIS), Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS) and Women Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS). Mulcher mounted are available in TAMS under Pasture Management in the Animal Welfare Nutrient and Storage Scheme (AWNSS), Organic Capital Investment Scheme (OCIS), Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS) and Women Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS).