Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator McGreehan for raising this important topic. I have always seen the need to help to provide supports to make farm equipment, farm machinery and farmyards more accessible for persons with disabilities. I am very conscious of ensuring that persons with a disability who are farming receive the appropriate supports, as I know Senator McGreehan is too.

Recently I announced the new targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS 3, with a budget of €370 million. It will provide funding for capital investment on farms over the coming five years. One of the ten new TAMS 3 schemes is the farm safety capital investment scheme, which has a €90,000 investment ceiling and a new higher grant rate of 60%. This will encourage farmers to invest in physical safety infrastructure.

Since 2021 the type of equipment for persons with a disability to which Senator McGreehan referred have qualified under the acceleration of wear and tear allowances for farm safety equipment. Equipment covered by this scheme cannot be grant aided under any other departmental scheme, such as TAMS 3. However, I will ask the officials to see whether there are other opportunities in this whereby we can take additional steps, if there are any, that can aid the very worthy objective that we all want to achieve of ensuring that disability is not a barrier to participating in having a full professional life as a farmer.In October 2021, the Minister of State with responsibility for farm safety, Deputy Martin Heydon, launched the acceleration of wear and tear allowances, which was a very worthy first-time initiative in this space. It allows for accelerated capital allowances on qualifying farm safety and adaptation equipment. This had a particular emphasis on supporting those who have suffered life-changing injuries as a result of incidents on farms or have limited mobility due to health issues.

Capital allowances are available at 12.5% per annum over eight years for agricultural equipment generally, but the scheme allows for accelerated capital allowances of 50% per annum over two years for certain qualifying equipment including, for example, access lift, hoists or integrated ramps to a farm vehicle, wheelchair-docking stations and modified controls to enable full-hand operation of a farm vehicle. The scheme supports the extensive reconfiguration of controls to enable a farm vehicle or farm machinery to be operated by a disabled person. On receipt of a valid application, the Department issues a farm safety or adaptation accelerated capital allowance certificate to the applicant for submission to Revenue in support of such claims. An annual total equipment cost of €5 million per annum, excluding VAT for the measure applies to this scheme. With this scheme, the Department is supporting farmers and those who have suffered serious physical injury or illness to get back to work. This is about more than just enabling people to getting back to farming, however. It is also about improving their physical and mental well-being.

This accelerated capital allowance underlines the priority afforded to the issue of farm safety in the programme for Government and reflects the commitment to make further progress. The Government has prioritised farm safety, health and well-being. In addition to the farm safety capital investment scheme and the acceleration of wear and tear allowances for farm safety equipment scheme, my ministerial colleagues also secured dedicated funding of €2.5 million for a range of farm safety, health and well-being initiatives in the budget for this year. These initiatives include supports for education and awareness through promoting farm safety practices and risk awareness that encourages behavioural change around farm safety from a young age while also supporting those who have been affected by fatal and non-fatal incidents.

Farming, as we know all too well, is a dangerous occupation. It is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling career paths but the statistics on deaths, injuries and near misses are frightening. We are all focused in the Department on reducing the risk associating with farming. The Minister of State has done tremendous work in this space and I will continue to back him in these endeavours. Through the investments I have outlined, particularly TAMS 3, we are playing a leadership role in helping to make safer work environments on our farms.