The Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS II) will reopen in 2021, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal.
In the initial Budget 2021 announcement, GLAS, BDGP, ANC and the Sheep Welfare Scheme were all accounted for and any funding for TAMS was left out.
On Tuesday evening, Minister McConalogue announced that there will be €80 allocated to the scheme next year.
“It’s similar in funding to 2020, it will be covering existing commitments as well as allowing us to continue with additional tranches in the year ahead,” he said.
Review
A review of the measures in TAMS II has been carried out by the Department.
“There has been a review of the TAMS completed by my department into the various measures which are contained within it, which is something I will consider in the next period of time but certainly there will be a TAMS next year.
“I’m very pleased we’ve allocated funding, the same as there was in the outgoing year,” the Minister said.
Beef measures in Budget 2021
Some €40m was allocated to a ‘Beef Sector Efficiency Pilot’ and €5m for a new dairy calf weighing scheme in the Budget.
Minister McConalogue said the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme-Suckler (BEEP-S) scheme was very much welcomed by suckler farmers in particular.
[It] can ultimately help improve our genetic information and databases and improve genetic gain in terms of the beef side, the beef output of the dairy herd
“I took that feedback very much on board and was very keen to ensure that we would identify funding next year, to be able to continue it. I’m grateful to Minister [for Public Expenditure] McGrath for allocating, as part of our 11% increase in overall funding, to continue that BEEP-S scheme and also to identify another €5m for a dairy calf to beef payment,” he said.
He said the weighing scheme will see farmers paid to weigh dairy calves and record weights.
“[It] can ultimately help improve our genetic information and databases and improve genetic gain in terms of the beef side, the beef output of the dairy herd.
“It also speaks to the fact that we ensure there’s a strong priority in the years ahead to ensure there’s attention to beef genetics in the dairy herd as well,” he said.
Organics
Almost €16m has been allocated to the organic scheme for 2021. Whether it will be open to all sectors is something which the Department has yet to decide.
“That’s something Minister Hackett and myself will be discussing in the year ahead, but certainly as Minister Hackett indicated today it is very welcome funding.
I think certainly the important outcome today is that the funding has been set aside to allow us to actually continue and reopen those schemes
“It’s something we want to try and ensure does lead to an increase in terms of reaching our targets in terms of increased numbers of farmers and reaching the European average in terms of areas under organic farming.
“That’s something we’ll be giving further consideration to, but I think certainly the important outcome today is that the funding has been set aside to allow us to actually continue and reopen those schemes,” he said.
Minister Hackett is targeting a take-up of up to 500 farmers in the scheme.
Tillage scheme
Some €10m has been allocated to tillage in the budget.
“That €10m will be one of the pilot measures under the €79m allocated for new environmental pilot schemes and that will basically be for carbon capture in terms of ploughing straw into the soil to capture the carbon value of that but also in terms of fertility.
“Also importantly, given the year that we’ve had and the difficult year the tillage sector has had, it’s €10m directly ring-fenced for the tillage sector, which I think it important,” he said.
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The Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS II) will reopen in 2021, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal.
In the initial Budget 2021 announcement, GLAS, BDGP, ANC and the Sheep Welfare Scheme were all accounted for and any funding for TAMS was left out.
On Tuesday evening, Minister McConalogue announced that there will be €80 allocated to the scheme next year.
“It’s similar in funding to 2020, it will be covering existing commitments as well as allowing us to continue with additional tranches in the year ahead,” he said.
Review
A review of the measures in TAMS II has been carried out by the Department.
“There has been a review of the TAMS completed by my department into the various measures which are contained within it, which is something I will consider in the next period of time but certainly there will be a TAMS next year.
“I’m very pleased we’ve allocated funding, the same as there was in the outgoing year,” the Minister said.
Beef measures in Budget 2021
Some €40m was allocated to a ‘Beef Sector Efficiency Pilot’ and €5m for a new dairy calf weighing scheme in the Budget.
Minister McConalogue said the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme-Suckler (BEEP-S) scheme was very much welcomed by suckler farmers in particular.
[It] can ultimately help improve our genetic information and databases and improve genetic gain in terms of the beef side, the beef output of the dairy herd
“I took that feedback very much on board and was very keen to ensure that we would identify funding next year, to be able to continue it. I’m grateful to Minister [for Public Expenditure] McGrath for allocating, as part of our 11% increase in overall funding, to continue that BEEP-S scheme and also to identify another €5m for a dairy calf to beef payment,” he said.
He said the weighing scheme will see farmers paid to weigh dairy calves and record weights.
“[It] can ultimately help improve our genetic information and databases and improve genetic gain in terms of the beef side, the beef output of the dairy herd.
“It also speaks to the fact that we ensure there’s a strong priority in the years ahead to ensure there’s attention to beef genetics in the dairy herd as well,” he said.
Organics
Almost €16m has been allocated to the organic scheme for 2021. Whether it will be open to all sectors is something which the Department has yet to decide.
“That’s something Minister Hackett and myself will be discussing in the year ahead, but certainly as Minister Hackett indicated today it is very welcome funding.
I think certainly the important outcome today is that the funding has been set aside to allow us to actually continue and reopen those schemes
“It’s something we want to try and ensure does lead to an increase in terms of reaching our targets in terms of increased numbers of farmers and reaching the European average in terms of areas under organic farming.
“That’s something we’ll be giving further consideration to, but I think certainly the important outcome today is that the funding has been set aside to allow us to actually continue and reopen those schemes,” he said.
Minister Hackett is targeting a take-up of up to 500 farmers in the scheme.
Tillage scheme
Some €10m has been allocated to tillage in the budget.
“That €10m will be one of the pilot measures under the €79m allocated for new environmental pilot schemes and that will basically be for carbon capture in terms of ploughing straw into the soil to capture the carbon value of that but also in terms of fertility.
“Also importantly, given the year that we’ve had and the difficult year the tillage sector has had, it’s €10m directly ring-fenced for the tillage sector, which I think it important,” he said.
Read more
Budget 2021: everything farmers need to know
Budget 2021: REPS scheme one step closer
Budget 2021: no return for Knowledge Transfer group schemes
€5m study to gauge biodiversity impact on farms – Hackett
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