What can you apply for under the new tillage TAMS?

As tillage farmers look at the new TAMS III or the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme’s updated list, they will see some welcome additions.

Some will be disappointed as things that have been called for for many years now are still left off of the list.

However, let’s start on the positives. If you’re a potato farmer you can apply for most things you’ll need to plant, spray or harvest your crops as well as some storage options.

A weighbridge and mobile weigh pads are now eligible for grant under the scheme. Beet cleaning equipment and a half tonne bag filler are also included. This is perhaps to focus on farm-to-farm trade.

However, electronically controlled sprayers without GPS do not appear to be included. Those who look at the list and do not see wheel-changing equipment should note that this is on the Farm Safety list.

There’s still a focus on integrated pest management, as there should be, with a few noticeable additions like haulm toppers, laser-guided mechanical weeders and a weather station.

If you’re thinking of growing peas, you can get a header for your combine. Approximately 564ha of peas were grown in the Republic of Ireland in 2022.

It is also good to see straw choppers and rakes included and a focus on soil health.

You can see the full list of items available under the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme at the bottom of this article.

Omissions from the list

Looking at the list, the Department of Agriculture has not taken advice from the tillage sector on board. Advice that it asked for.

A sub-committee of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee met last July at the minister’s request. That group put forward seven recommendations to help to maintain and increase the area of tillage in this country.

One of those proposals focused on TAMS and the need for basic equipment. It read: “Create more opportunities for growers and contractors to avail of investment support mechanisms under TAMS and similar schemes into the future.

“Wider eligibility and increased investment ceilings for tillage machinery, equipment and facilities would support the cost base and infrastructure across the sector.

“The expansion of grant aid should include basic infrastructure to equip farms entering into tillage or increasing tillage by small areas with basic equipment and facilities, eg grain trailers, combines, temporary grain storage, etc. The availability of TAMS supports to contractors is also required.”

Looking at the TAMS III list, the requests of this committee have not been met. There is ancillary concrete on the list, but this would need to be attached to a building, while the Irish Farmers Journal could not see a grain trailer on the list.

It does seem somewhat unfair that silage pits, bulk tanks and milking machines can be grant-aided while the items requested by that committee have not been added.

If the Government wants to meet its Climate Action Plan target of increasing the area of tillage to 400,000ha by 2020 then, like all other sectors, the tillage list needs to include the basics to get farmers started whether that be a trailer, a combine, a tipping area for grain or a sprayer that has some, but not all the bells and whistles on it.

The Tillage Capital Investment Scheme list is outlined below.

Grain store

Rainwater harvesting

GPS machinery control

Sprayers

Minimum disturbance tillage (PTO driven equipment not permitted)

Pesticide reduction

Grain treatment equipment

Potato harvesting

Potato haulm topper

Combine attachments

Crop Sales Handling

Potato Planting

Potato handling

Potato Store

Read more

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