The Farm Safety Capital Investment Scheme was the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme 3 (TAMS) sub-scheme in which the farmers have been most likely to see success in getting grant applications over the line, new Department of Agriculture figures show.

The Department approved 81% of applications submitted since the scheme opened, as farm safety investment aid approvals totalled €55.4m by the end of July.

Just 8% of the scheme’s applications were rejected and more are making their way through the system or have been withdrawn by farmers.

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With 15,562 farmers receiving the green light for farm safety investments, the scheme had the lowest average payout approved per application at €3,540.

The introduction of ranking and selection criteria amid budgetary constraints has curtailed the likelihood of Solar Capital Investment Scheme getting the Department’s TAMS 3 go-ahead.

The scheme’s approval rate has fallen to just 54% of the applications submitted – the lowest of any TAMS scheme.

Farmers’ solar application approvals since the scheme opened totalled €84.5m, leaving the value of the average grant approved standing at €23,000.

The Animal Welfare and Nutrient Storage Scheme – which covers sheds, farm infrastructure and slurry storage facilities – took the largest share of TAMS 3 funds of any individual scheme at €102.5m or 22% of the payments approved.

A little over three-quarters of the applications received for investment items under this heading were approved at an average value of €7,000 per individual application.

The Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme witnessed the highest level of grant aid per application approved at €28,700.

This was followed by the average grant of €25,000 paid out under the Low Emissions Slurry Spreading (LESS) TAMS 3 heading, which saw combined payment approvals equate to €89m.

Average values of just over €13,000 have been approved in both the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme and the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme across a combined 5,400 applications.

The second-lowest approval rate of any TAMS 3 scheme was seen in the Dairy Equipment Scheme, which approved an average of €6,000 per successful application, as 2,240 of the 3,290 applications submitted were accepted by the Department.

The Organic Capital Investment Scheme’s typical payment approval issued at a value of €5,400 and with 79% of applications being successful in getting the green light. This scheme accounts for €24m of TAMS 3’s total approval value.

Some 72% of the Women Farmer Capital Investment Scheme applications received were approved, with these approvals averaging €11,300 in value.