Ó An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Bia agus Mara
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The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has confirmed that the issuing of approvals under Tranche 1 of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) has commenced.
Minister McConalogue said:
“Approval letters for Tranche 1 applications have commenced, starting with the Solar Capital Investment Scheme. This scheme, which has its own ring-fenced investment ceiling of €90,000, is grant-aided at the enhanced rate of 60%. It enables farmers to consume solar, PV-generated electricity on-site in order to meet their farm electricity demand, including the dwelling house.”
Approvals for all schemes will commence thereafter, as outlined in the table below. It should be noted that approvals for mobile investments will issue more rapidly as they do not require the same level of checks as fixed investments. As a result, it is anticipated that many of these will issue in January.
It is expected that the first engagement with applicants will have occurred on all files by March 2024, and that the majority of approvals will issue by the end of April 2024.
Table 1: Scheme Approvals Timeline
| Scheme | Non-priority fixed investment approval commencement |
| Solar Capital Investment Scheme | December 2023 |
| Dairy Equipment Scheme | January 2024 |
| Pig and Poultry Capital Investment Scheme | January 2024 |
| Farm Safety Capital Investment Scheme | January 2024 |
| Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme | January 2024 |
| Tillage Capital Investment Scheme | February 2024 |
| Animal Welfare, Nutrient Storage Scheme | February 2024 |
| Organic Capital Investment Scheme | March 2024 |
| Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme | March 2024 |
| Women Farmers Capital Investment Scheme | March 2024 |
Additionally, the system for applicants and/or advisors to submit payment claims will be open in January 2024.
The Minister also confirmed that the current tranche (Tranche 2) of TAMS 3 will close Friday 15 December at 5pm. Tranche 3 of the scheme will open on Monday 18 December and close Friday 12 April 2024 at close of business.
The Minister said:
“I have decided to close Tranche 2 this week in the interests of ensuring that applications received since the tranche opened in July can be proceeded with as efficiently as possible, and to ensure that those who need to carry out works in a timely manner in 2024 can be processed, including by according them the necessary priority. I can also confirm that, as is the case with Tranche 1, all eligible applications received in Tranche 2 will be approved. Similar to Tranche 1, those who have applied for mobile investments may proceed with that investment at their own risk pending formal approval in due course.”
Expanding further on the question of prioritising applications, Minister McConalogue said:
“This Autumn, for farmers that needed to commence works, I ensured that priority approvals were issued. This assisted farmers that required the construction of slurry and manure storage facilities, or urgent animal welfare-related investments for the winter of 2023/2024. Notwithstanding the approvals timeline that I am now announcing in respect of Tranche 1, I am advising applicants and their advisors who have an urgent need to commence works that this priority application process has reopened. If you are in this situation, you should contact your local Department of Agriculture office. Your application will then be assessed to determine whether there is an urgent need to issue approval, and it will be prioritised accordingly.”
Continuing, the Minister said:
“This facility will also be available to Tranche 2 applicants in due course in early 2024, again for those requiring the construction of slurry and manure storage facilities, or urgent animal welfare-related investments in the first instance, but also for other priority cases immediately requiring commencement of works.”
The department also reminds applicants of the changes to the terms and conditions of the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS). From 1 January 2024, applicants farming at or above 150 kgs/N per hectare (as defined under Statutory Instrument 113/2022) in the year of application or the preceding year are ineligible to apply for LESS equipment.
The Minister added:
“Applications for LESS, which are submitted in advance of this date will be based on the terms and conditions that exist at that time.”
The Minister concluded:
"TAMS has been a hugely successful and beneficial scheme since its inception. I believe that the suite of schemes now available in TAMS3 is the best mechanism for ensuring that funding is targeted at the most appropriate enterprises. It has delivered key modernisation, environmental and safety improvements on thousands of farms while also boosting local economies in the construction phase of developments."