Dealers are reporting massive interest in equipment covered under the tillage TAMS, but issues are emerging.

Disc cultivators are approved, but only if there is 700mm of clearance “between the underside of the frame and the lowest point of the discs”. This stipulation has led to the sight of farmers arriving into machinery dealers yards armed with measuring tapes.

The terms seem to be disqualifying some discs, including popular discs such as the Amazone Catros. The Department says the height requirement is to ensure straw does not get caught under the frame. The actual height for discs is under review.

Farmers are also being advised to be aware of the requirement for steel rings to be used in grant-aided cambridge rollers and furrow presses. Some machines use pure steel rings, some are at least in part cast iron. The requirement for “proprietary manufacture” GPS control systems also needs clarification. Will this restrict farmers to buying own-brand GPS systems rather than brand-compatible equipment?

The IFA is meeting Department officials next week to tease out the details.

Sprayer registration

To date, 26,428 farmers have been registered, with only 4,840 of the estimated 20,000 sprayers in the country certified so far. Sprayers less than five years old do not require certification.

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How to: make a Tillage Capital Investment Scheme application

Investment items covered in TAMS II tillage scheme