FARMERS with ‘dodgy’ shed roofs can now apply for a grant to replace the structures under the TAMS 3 scheme, Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon confirmed last week.

He said that grant aid for such works will be made available under the Farm Safety Capital Investment Scheme section of TAMS [Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme], with full details on such applications available on the Dept. website.

The move has been prompted by the widespread damage caused to farmyard buildings – and especially roofs – during Hurricane Éowyn on January 23/24 last.

Farm Safety Capital Investment Scheme (FCIS) are paid at a rate of 60% of the total cost, with a €90,000 investment ceiling in place.

Minister Heydon has now urged farmers to carry out an assessment of their farm buildings ‘to ensure that all structures are able to withstand future weather events’.

“Where structures are found not to be sound, I would advise farmers to undertake the necessary work to make the buildings safe,” he said.

Minister of State at the Dept. of Agriculture with responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture, Michael Healy-Rae encouraged farmers considering applying for the grants, to appoint the required project supervisors to ensure that all work be carried out in a safe manner.

“Farmers should ensure that appropriate equipment is used and experienced contractors are employed to remove the existing roof and construct the replacement roof,” he said.

According to the Dept. of Agriculture, a total of 7,906 applications were submitted in Tranche 10 of TAMS 3, which closed for applications on December 5th last. This brings the total number of applications under TAMS 3 to 59,302.

Minister Heydon said that TAMS had been, and continued to be, a hugely successful and beneficial scheme to the farming community and the wider rural economy.

“It has delivered key modernisation, environmental and safety improvements on thousands of farms across the country,” he said.

TAMS is jointly funded by the National Exchequer and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027.

Under the On-farm Capital Investment Scheme known as TAMS 3, there are 11 individual schemes including nutrient storage, tillage capital, pig and poultry, dairy equipment, young and women farmers, organic, farm safety, solar, low emission slurry spreading, and nutrient importation.

Pictured: Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon