The Department of Agriculture has confirmed that a new TAMS II tillage scheme will be launched in the coming weeks.
It says the scheme will come into place following receipt of the formal European Commission approval.
According to the Department, the formal consultation process with the Commission is now complete.
It says the legal adoption process will now commence and expects formal Commission approval before the end of the month.
It is understood that the tillage scheme will include grant aid for improved grain storage facilities, ventilation and improved drying equipment for grain. It has also been speculated that precision and low impact tillage equipment for arable crop farmers will also be grant aided.
The scheme will likely fall under the overall TAMS II farm building scheme. It operates under a tranche system with approximately three-month tranches opening regularly under each individual sector and will continue to invite applications until 2020.
Under the scheme, farmers will be able to avail of grant aid of 40% with eligible young farmers entitled to grant aid of 60% for investments.
Under TAMS II the minimum approval per application under all Schemes is €2,000.
TAMS II first opened in June 2015 and is set to run until December 2020. This scheme is co-funded by the EU and the national exchequer under the Rural Development Programme (2014-2020) with a total allocation of over €395m over its duration.
TAMS II aims to provide farmers with grant aid to improve and/or build a specific range of farm buildings or purchase equipment that may benefit their farm businesses.
There was significant anger amongst tillage farmers when little support has been provided for tillage farmers under the original TAMS II farm building schemes.
While other sectors could avail of significant grants for a host of different infrastructural projects, tillage farmers voiced their disappointment with little in the way of sector specific eligible items in their field.
