Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
790. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of increasing the grant ceiling for the tillage capital investment scheme to €150,000; and the current annual cost of the scheme with existing ceiling levels. [40645/23]
View answerThe Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings.
There is a wide range of tillage investments available under the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme, with a €90,000 ceiling for individuals and €160,000 for registered farm partnerships. Currently, these ceilings are spread across all TAMS schemes, with the exception of the Solar Capital Investment Scheme and the Low Emission Slurry Scheme, where individual ring-fenced ceilings apply. Eligible applicants can also avail of grant aid for these tillage investments in the Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme, Women Farmers Capital Investment Scheme and Organic Capital Investment Scheme, at a rate of 60%.
The last full year of the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme resulted in 493 payment claims, totaling €3,873,245. Based on the number of applications in 2022, an increase in any potential ring-fenced ceiling for the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme to €150,000 would cost an additional €21.7 million.
TAMS 3 is a demand-led scheme, with significant budgetary constraints. As a result, it is not possible to consider increasing ceiling levels in any of the schemes under TAMS at this time.
