The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has begun issuing approval letters for Tranche 1 applications to TAMS3. The first approval letters are now being issued to applicants of the Solar Capital Investment Scheme.
This scheme is grant aided at 60% and has an investment ceiling of €90,000. This scheme will help farmers to create solar, PV-generated electricity on-site to meet their farm electricity demand as well as their own home.
It is expected that approvals for many of the other TAMS3 Investment Schemes will begin to be issued in January, February and March 2024. The Dairy Equipment Scheme, Pig and Poultry Capital Investment Scheme, Farm Safety Capital Investment Scheme and the Low Emissions Slurry Scheme approvals process will commence in January.
February will see the commencement of approvals for the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme and the Animal Welfare, Nutrient Storage Scheme. The Organic Capital Investment Scheme, Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme and the Women Farmers Capital Investment Scheme will commence in March
Additionally, the system for applicants and/or advisors to submit payment claims will be open in January 2024.
The original deadline announced for the close of Tranche 2 had been announced last week for the 15th of December. This date had been announced to facilitate the immediate processing of applications received since July 2023, particularly for those applicants who need to carry out urgent works in early 2024. However, it was acknowledged that advisors had concerns about the time required to fully complete current applications before the deadline. Therefore Tranche 2 has received a deadline extension and all authorisations must be submitted by advisors by the 5th of January 2024, in order to ensure that applications can, in turn, be fully submitted by the new deadline of the 19th of January 2024.
Applicants and their advisors who have an urgent need to commence works based on environmental or animal welfare grounds should contact their local Department of Agriculture office. The application will then be assessed to determine whether it should be processed as a priority.
The Department has also reminded applicants of changes that have been made to the terms and conditions of the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS). From the 1st of 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. Applications for LESS, which are submitted in advance of this date will be based on the terms and conditions that exist at that time.
Further information on TAMS3 can be found here.