Farmers in the North West who suffered storm damage can finally get some compensation.
A special grant has become available for the next three weeks and will deal specifically with storm-related damage on farms.
Only certain items will be covered under the scheme and applications will be accepted from now until March 28th.
Fianna Fail Cllr Edel McSharry says while it'll be some help to those affected, shes disappointed that it'll be later this year before a special grant is available for roofs on farms sheds:
Minister also outlines TAMS 3 support available following the impact of Storm Éowyn
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, today announced that 100% of all eligible applications submitted in tranche five of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) will be approved.
Minister Heydon said: “I want to confirm that all eligible applications submitted in tranche five will receive approval. The vast majority of these applications have undergone an initial examination, so I expect that approvals will start to issue over the coming weeks. A total of 5,823 applications were submitted in this tranche, bringing the total number of applications under TAMS 3 to date to 32,799.”
Minister Heydon added: “In acknowledgement of the urgency of the support required, I have decided to open a new TAMS tranche for a three-week period to deal specifically with storm-related damage on farms. This tranche will open immediately after the current tranche has closed on Friday, 7 March 2025, and will close on Friday, 28 March 2025.”
The specific items in respect of which applications will be accepted over this three-week period are as follows:
Backup PTO Generators;
Sheep, Bovine and Equine Fencing;
Wood / Biomass Chippers; and
Mulchers.
The regular tranche, which will cater for all TAMS applications, will open immediately thereafter on 29 March and will close on the previously advised date of 6 June 2025 and there will be no impact on agreed timelines.
Minister Heydon continued: “Considering the recent power outages arising from storm damage, I have reviewed the scope of generators supported by TAMS to include all generators, irrespective of the drive mechanism. The grant is targeted at the generator rather than the drive mechanism. While these generators are included as an investment item under the Dairy Equipment Scheme, the investment is open to all farmers who declare the minimum eligibility requirement of five hectares under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) Scheme in the year of application, or preceding year. There is no requirement to be milking cows to be eligible for backup generators under the scheme.
“In addition, with the clean-up ongoing, there is increased demand for woodchippers and mulchers. These are both mobile investments and, as such, a farmer is permitted to purchase the equipment, at their own risk, once they have submitted an online application. The application will then proceed through the normal process.”
Minister Heydon added: “Significant damage has been inflicted on the farming sector in general, and I would urge farmers to examine the supports available under TAMS. Many farm buildings have been significantly damaged and in some cases, it may be more economic to replace the entire structure. In such cases, it is open to farmers to apply for support for the construction of new buildings under TAMS.
The Minister also highlighted: “To ensure farms are more resilient in advance of future weather events, I intend to introduce grant aid support under TAMS for replacement of roofs. The application process for this specific investment will be available later this year, when systems are developed. In the meantime, I would urge farmers to carry out a structural assessment of their farm buildings.”
Applications for buildings will be dealt with in the normal manner in the current tranche six, which closes this Friday, 7 March, and in subsequent tranches, due to the necessary planning requirements.
Minister Heydon concluded: “As this tranche is specifically in place to deal with the effects of Storm Éowyn, I will ensure that all these applications are processed as a priority. The list of investment items will continue to be reviewed on a regular basis. The inclusion of further investment categories will be dependent on the availability of the required funding under the TAMS 3 schemes.”
