Dairy Equipment Scheme

The Dairy Equipment Scheme provides financial help to farmers in milk production, particularly new entrants and young farmers, to establish their enterprises and keep up-to-date with new technology. This helps them to compete in the modern dairy sector.

The scheme is open to farmers who have a minimum of 5 hectares of “eligible land” in the Basic Payment Scheme in the year of application or preceding year.

Specific types of equipment are eligible for the scheme including:

• water heating and milking machine equipment
• milk storage equipment and cooling equipment
• in-parlour meal feeding systems

You must meet the scheme’s requirements on training and tax clearance. The funding for the scheme is limited and all applications are subject to selection criteria, such as the age of the applicant and the costing submitted. See the conditions of the scheme and the selection criteria marking sheet at the bottom of this page.

Grant aid is paid at the rate of 40% up to a maximum of €80,000 per holding. Multiple applications per tranche are allowed however the minimum amount of investment which is eligible for approval under this scheme is €2,000 per application.

Applicants who receive approval to proceed with investment works at the maximum ceiling of €80,000 under this scheme are not eligible to apply for grants under any other TAMS II scheme with the exception of the Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) Equipment Scheme.

In the case of an application by two or more eligible partners, the maximum increases to €160,000.

Applications must be submitted online through agfood.ie. If your login or password are expired and need to be renewed please contact the Department’s helpdesk at 053 9163425 .

The department has prepared this document as an aid to ensure that farmers and advisors are aware of the requirements and conditions attaching to payments concerned and to assist in completing applications for the Dairy Equipment Scheme.

Download the marking sheet: