Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
778. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the uptake figures for precision fertiliser application technology and low-emission slurry spreading equipment under existing schemes, and whether additional funding or incentives will be introduced to help farmers reduce fertiliser usage without compromising yields; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36825/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) provides grant aid to farmers to purchase fertiliser spreading equipment under a number of different measures:
• Tillage Capital Investment Scheme (TCIS) at a grant rate of 40%.
• Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS) at a grant rate of 60%;
• Women Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS) at a grant rate of 60%; and
• Organic Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (OCIS) t a grant rate of 60%.
The Lower Emissions Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS) enables farmers to purchase new LESS equipment for the spreading of slurry at a grant rate of 60% with a dedicated ceiling of €40,000 per holding and €60,000 for registered farm partnerships.
In order to ensure that the available budget is distributed fairly over the remainder of the CSP programming period, it was necessary to limit the number of approved applications in recent tranches by applying ranking and selection criteria (RASS).
The table below provides a breakdown of the number of applications received, approved and paid in respect of LESS
|
Main Investments |
Applications Received |
Applications Approved |
Applications Paid |
|
Fertiliser Spreaders (TCIS, YFCIS, WFCIS, OCIS) |
1028 |
815 |
337 |
|
Mobile Slurry Tank with Attachment (LESS) |
4038 |
3337 |
1658 |
|
Umbilical System (LESS) |
192 |
149 |
51 |
|
Total |
5258 |
4301 |
2046 |
