The Acceleration of Wear and Tear Allowances for Farm Safety Equipment Scheme has been expanded with a budget of €5m ex-VAT allocated for the coming two years.

The scheme aims to boost farmer investment in safe equipment and facilities, including the replacement of sub-standard equipment, by allowing qualifying farmers an accelerated capital allowance on their investment.

Certain investments geared towards allowing disabled farmers to continue to work are also covered.

Farmers who received a qualifying certificate can avail of capital allowances of 50% per annum to be claimed over an accelerated two-year period for these investments, where the usual wear and tear for machinery is calculated at 12.5% over eight years.

Fixed sheep handling units, fixed cattle crushes, cattle crush races, calving gates, flood lights for farmyards, livestock monitors and sliding doors for farm buildings are now all eligible for the accelerated allowance after the expansion, where these items are purchased between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2026.

The allowance can be claimed on all other investments – those previously included in the scheme - if they were purchased between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2026.

Where an investment has been grant aided under the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme 3, it is just the net cost of the item to the farmer that will qualify for the accelerated capital allowance.

Minimising risks

Farmers were urged to consider using the expanded capital allowance scheme to invest with a view towards making their farms safer and more efficient by Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon.

Minister of State with responsibility for farm safety Michael Healy-Rae said that the scheme’s expansion comes when the number of fatal and non-fatal injuries associated with working with livestock are concerning.

“The expansion of the list of eligible equipment for accelerated capital allowances will provide further encouragement to farmers to invest in facilities and equipment, which will provide better working conditions and ensure that work can be carried out while minimising the risk of injury or fatality,” he said.