Figures recently released by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) show that of the 489 applications lodged under the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme (TCIS), 251 were under the category of minimum disturbance tillage equipment. Coming in second with 188 applications were sprayers.

A full breakdown of the number of investments in each category can been seen in Table 1.

The DAFM has also issued a list of the top 10 most-popular investments under the scheme, with the heavy Cambridge roller/furrow press coming out on top with 102 applications.

Next was the mounted disc stubble cultivator with 77 applications, the retrofitting of a tractor steering control with a minimum accuracy of 200mm had 76 applications and the trailed sprayer with GPS control had 74. A full list of the top 10 investments is seen in Table 2.

Of the 489 applications made under the scheme under the last tranche, which closed on 30 June, approval has been granted on 421 applications, with only five payment claims lodged so far as of 7 September.

The next tranche of the scheme will close on 8 October and has received 25 applications to date.

Issues

There have been very few issues with the scheme so far according to the Department, However, there are a few aspects of the scheme that farmers must be aware of.

Firstly, when farmers choose a category for their main investment, they are permitted to change the chosen investment within a category, but they are not permitted to change category.

If a farmer chooses a sprayer as his main investment, he is allowed to change the type of sprayer he has chosen, but he is not permitted to change his main investment from a sprayer to a grain store, for example.

Farmers can also use a trade-in of an old machine to pay, or part-pay, for a new tillage investment.

However, the trade-in must be like for like. For example, an old roller can be traded in against a new roller to part pay for the new investment.

Farmers are required to have use of the investment for five years from the date of payment to comply with the scheme.

In relation to machinery, farmers are allowed to replace like-for-like or upgrade their investment within the five-year period.

The applicant must purchase the investment outright. Investments cannot be financed by leasing or hire purchase and any investments paid for in cash are not eligible.

Finally, investments must be made from the applicant’s bank account by way of a credit transfer, cheque, etc.

Slurry storage

There had been concerns among tillage farmers that they would require a herd umber to apply through the Animal Welfare, Nutrient Storage and Safety Scheme (AWNSS) to construct slurry storage or a manure pit.

The Department has responded, saying that “an applicant is eligible under AWNSS, provided they declare a minimum of 5ha of land on the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application”.