The Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) is set to open on Wednesday 22 February.
Solar panels on farms will be the first available investment, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and Ministers of State Pippa Hackett and Martin Heydon have announced.
TAMS provides funding for capital investments on farms and will be in place for five years with a budget of €370m.
Other investments will become available on a phased basis during Tranche 1 which will close on 16 June.
There are a range of new improvements to the TAMS scheme including increased grant aid rates, investment ceilings, new investments, and new support categories.
This includes enhanced grant-rate of 60% compared to a lower rate of 40% in TAMS II in respect of investments under the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment (LESS), Organic Capital Investments and Farm Safety Investments.
Commenting on the changes, Minister McConalogue said: “TAMS continues to be a hugely beneficial scheme for farmers, and I am delighted that it will continue in 2023 in a much bigger and better way than previously.
“We are also using TAMS to align more with our climate and sustainability goals through renewable energy, low emission spreading equipment and higher grant rates for organic farmers.
“It will also be a driver of our priorities on increasing the number of young farmers and women farmers and improving farm safety. with higher grant rates for all of these.”
In order to encourage the purchase of solar investments reducing dependence on fossil energy by farmers, the Department’s solar scheme will be ring fenced with its own investment ceiling of €90,000 and will be grant aided at the enhanced rate of 60%.
“At a time of rising energy costs, I have prioritised the introduction of the solar investments first which will be open from next Wednesday. In addition to the higher grant rates, I have also increased the size of the available investments from 12kW to 62kW,” the Minister added.
“The scheme will enable every farmer to generate their own power for their dwelling and holding and will help to achieve a more sustainable rural economy, assisting farmers in reducing energy costs on their holdings.”
Under TAMS 3, the ceiling for investment will be reset to €90,000 per holding for the duration of the scheme.
This means every farmer who benefited under TAMS 2 can reapply in full under the new scheme.
In addition, the ceiling for investment for the pig and poultry strand of support will increase to €500,000. Along with the solar panels, LESS equipment will continue to have its own standalone investment ceiling.
For the first time under TAMS, equine breeders will have the opportunity to invest in important infrastructure for their farms including housing, training facilities, and fencing.
Other investments next to follow will be Animal Welfare, Nutrient Storage Scheme (AWNSS) by mid-March and the remaining schemes will be open for applications on a phased basis by end May.
There will be a wide range of new investments included under the TAMS 3 schemes, as detailed here.
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