Applications are now open for the low-emission slurry spreading (LESS) scheme as part of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS III) launched earlier this year. The Dairy Equipment Scheme (DES) also opened for applications on Monday 8 May as part of the phased opening of TAMS III.

The scheme is expected to remain open for applications until Tranche 1 closes on 16 June. The funding for LESS is part of the wider TAMS budget of €370m aimed at providing funding for capital investment on farms and will remain in place for five years.

The maximum investment eligible for grant aid under the LESS scheme is €40,000 per holding. However, in the case of a joint application under a registered farm partnership, the maximum eligible investment ceiling is increased to €60,000. In addition, items are now grant aided at 60% for all applicants and continues to be separate from other TAMS III schemes.

Discontent

The dropping of dribble bars in favour of trailing shoe and shallow injection systems caused a huge level of farmer discontent earlier in the year, prompting high-level meetings between the Department of Agriculture officials and the machinery trade. Despite this, there has been no further update on whether or not the exclusion of dribble bars will be revised.

In February, Department sources told the Irish Farmers Journal the door remained open for the dribble bar pending further research results.

The possible inclusion of dribble bars hinged on the results of more recent Irish research comparing the ammonia emissions between dribble bar and trailing shoe systems.

At the time it was believed that such Irish research suggested that dribble bars perform just as well at reducing emissions when used properly, compared with trailing shoe systems. However, the results remain unpublished.

There is also little reference as to what defines a trailing shoe in terms of specification under TAMS III, such as downward force per outlet etc. It is expected that manufacturers will develop a more competitively priced hybrid dribble bar/trailing shoe solution designed just to separate the grass canopy, such as the new FlexiShoe from Mastek featured on page 2 which was launched this week.

Eligible items

Under the new LESS scheme, the dropping of dribble bars has seen the retro-fitting of trailing shoes added. These units have a reference cost of y = 1784x + 7955. For example, a typical 7.5m unit would have a reference cost of €21,335.

Slurry tankers and umbilical systems continue to be grant-aided when fitted with a LESS system, being either a trailing shoe or a disc injection system, with trailing shoes eligible for retrofit to existing umbilical systems.

Slurry tankers are calculated on their size in litres (y = 2.35x – 6001). So, a 2,000-gallon tanker (9,092 litres) would have a reference cost of €15,365. Shallow disc injection systems have a reference cost of y = 2626 + 10640.

The fitment of an inlet chopper to a new or used tanker has been added, with a reference cost of €3,500. The fitting of a flow meter to a new or existing tanker or umbilical system has also been added, with a reference cost of €3,251. Hydraulic motors to substitute PTO shafts continue to be included, at a reference cost of €1,520.