Angry tillage farmers demand TAMS grants
This was after angry tillage farmers accused the IFA leadership of having “milk on the brain”, and linked this to no TAMS grant aid being allocated for tillage, with all €395m concentrated instead on the dairy and livestock sectors.
At a recent Munster IFA grain growers’ meeting at Corrin Mart, Fermoy, attended by the President, Eddie Downey, and Grain Chairman, Liam Dunne, the exclusion of tillage (except for organic production) from the €120m of TAMS grants for young farmers was emphasised by unhappy farmers.
Mr Downey has responded with a statement issued yesterday acknowledging the wide range of grant aid available for capital infrastructure on farms under the TAMS II schemes, but pointing out that farmers are very disappointed that tillage has not been included.
He said critical areas for grant aid to be included by Minister Coveney are on-farm storage handling, drying and processing facilities for grain, targeting the use of biomass driers; specialist equipment for storing and accurately spreading organic manures; sprayers with low drift sprayer technology; water harvesting and storage equipment; soil fertility and yield mapping technology using GPS and GIS; and establishment of biomass supply chains.
IFA Grain Chairman Liam Dunne said yesterday this infrastructure and technology would enable growers to stay competitive, while reducing their carbon and environmental footprints.
Growers at the recent Corrin meeting had highlighted to the IFA leaders how no access to grant aid affected them.
“How can young tillage farmers compete for land if a neighbouring dairy farmer can get grant aid of 60%, while young tillage farmers get nothing?” asked one grower.
