Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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86. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to bring in a new grant aid scheme for the construction of farm buildings, hay sheds, machine sheds, storage sheds and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21076/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Under the Rural Development Programme for the 2014-2020 the following investments have been identified as priority areas which will be targeted in the TAMS scheme:-

(i) dairy equipment,

(ii) a young farmer capital investment scheme.

(iii) low emission spreading equipment,

(iv) organic capital investment,

(v) animal welfare and farm safety (specifically beef and sheep handling facilities) farm nutrient storage and animal housing, and

(vi) pig and poultry investments in energy, water meters and medicine dispensers.

I have already launched the new Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme, the Terms and Conditions of which are available on my Department’s website. The Scheme is co-funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).

The specific areas of investment will include animal housing, slurry storage, dairy equipment, specialised slurry spreading equipment, animal welfare & farm safety, and specialised pig & poultry investments.  In addition, young farmers will be able to avail of grant-aid for construction of new dairy buildings. All applications must be made on-line, either by the farmer or by an adviser authorised to act on his or her behalf. The facility for farmers and advisers to rapidly link via SMS texting is now available, and the online system will open for applications shortly.  The closing date for applications under the first tranche of the new scheme will be Friday 4 September 2015. The next tranches will then follow on with the funding spread evenly for the duration of the programme.

The other TAMS II schemes, including animal housing, will be rolled out as soon as possible.