Farm building grants are now available to all farmers with the opening this week by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney of the TAMS II general scheme. This tranche of the scheme has €170m in grant aid money available for the years 2015 to 2020.

It offers the standard TAMS II grant rate of 40% on a wide range of farmyard projects, up to an investment ceiling of €80,000. A farmer investing the maximum €80,000 on eligible items can receive grant aid of €32,000.

This major scheme is named the Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme. As the name suggests, it will grant-aid investment in cattle, sheep and goat housing, slurry storage and farm safety equipment.

The Minister this week also launched the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS) with €4m in grant aid. It is intended to encourage use of environmentally-friendly slurry spreading equipment and has its own, separate investment ceiling of €40,000.

“I am delighted to announce the opening of these very important schemes which will encourage the development of Irish agriculture by providing a range of new investment opportunities to farmers,” Minister Coveney said.

The online application system is to open immediately, he said. The first tranche of applications will run for three months, closing towards the end of October. The two remaining TAMS schemes, the Organic Capital Investment Scheme and the Pigs and Poultry Specialised Investment Scheme, will be launched over the coming weeks.

IFA President Eddie Downey welcomed the announcement of the latest TAM II schemes. “They are vital for the long term future of agriculture and will boost economic activity in the rural economy,” he said.