Calls for diesel generators to be included in schemes

ICMSA Farm Business Committee chairman Pat O'Brien

The ICMSA has urged the Department to include diesel generators for funding given the ongoing issues arising from the latest storm. 

Farm Business Committee chairman Pat O'Brien made the call following the opening of the TAMS 3 tranche 6, and also appealed to the Revenue Commissioners to allow farmers to claim VAT back on generators.

“Under the current TAMS 3 Dairy Equipment and Women Farmer Capital Investment Schemes, only back-up PTO-driven generators are eligible for funding which, while welcome, is not suitable for every situation; it involves what might be the only tractor on the farm and they are also more expensive," Mr O'Brien said.

"Given the frequency at which extreme weather events are taking place and the reliance of particularly dairy farms on electricity, it is vital that farmers can prepare for interruptions to supply and so avoid disastrous outcomes. A generator is fast becoming an essential piece of equipment on most farms and - as well as the farmer’s peace of mind -there is the freeing-up of the ESB network crews who could turn to other emergency work."

Mr O’Brien also reminded farmers that PTO-driven generators cannot be bought before TAMS approval as they are classified as a ‘fixed item’ at present. He called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food & Marine to instead allow farmers to purchase once the application has been submitted, thus allowing farmers to make an immediate purchase.

More than 768,000 homes and businesses across Ireland lost power due to Storm Éowyn, with around 700 disconnected for more than two weeks.

Mr O'Brien explained that some farms had got by only by borrowing generators.

“The country continues to deal with the fallout of Storm Éowyn with farms across the country still without power. As always in these emergencies, farmers have helped each other out by sharing generators over the last number of days to ensure vital work can continue on farms," he said.

"But lessons must be learned from this occasion and ICMSA thinks that the inclusion of standalone diesel generators in TAMS and a facility to reclaim the VAT on all generators are just obvious and prudent measures that will address increasingly important questions around both farmer and animal welfare”, said Mr O’Brien.

“The reality is that these extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more intense, and our preparations have to reflect that. These are sensible and prudent measures that make sense on all levels and we expect the Department to look at them closely and see the merits of our case”, he concluded.