Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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377. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine why agricultural contractors are not eligible for grant aid under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme 2 for sustainable slurry spreading equipment if they do not farm land; if he will review this position to ensure a level playing pitch for all contractors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1024/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The principal objective of the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS) is to assist farmers in purchasing more advanced mobile slurry equipment thereby reducing emissions. It is a condition of all TAMS II schemes that the beneficiaries must be active farmers. This in turn reflects the posit ion set out in the relevant EU Regulations, which require that support for physical investments to improve the overall performance and sustainability of agricultural holdings shall only be granted to farmers or groups of farmers.