The Department has confirmed that farmers farming in derogation remain locked out of Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) with regard to low emissions slurry spreading (LESS) equipment, though they have rowed back on limiting farmers below 170kg N/ha.

The Department confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal that “nitrates derogation applicants are ineligible to apply for LESS equipment. Furthermore, applicants farming at or above 170kg/N per hectare in the year of application or the preceding year are ineligible to apply for LESS equipment.

“Applicants farming below 170kg/N per hectare grassland stocking rate prior to export continue to be eligible for LESS equipment.”

Despite these restrictions, these farmers are required to spread all slurry using LESS equipment, as is any slurry that is exported from these farms.

All farmers stocked up to 170kg N/ha are eligible to apply for TAMS grants on LESS equipment and “will continue to be eligible to apply”, confirmed the Department.

This differs from previous eligibility rules with LESS equipment, where farms operating at above 150kg N/ha were in eligible for TAMS LESS equipment from 1 January 2024, with farmers farming above 130kg N/ha set to be ineligible from 1 January 2025. This rule was changed, with all farmers operating under 170kg N/ha, as of 7 September 2024.

Rate of payment

LESS grant aid will be paid at a rate of 60% up to the applicable maximum investment ceiling. For LESS, the maximum amount eligible for grant aid is €40,000/holding or €60,000 for partnerships.

New rules under the good agricultural practice for protection of waters regulations require farmers with a grassland stocking rate of between 100kg/ha and 129kg/ha organic nitrogen to also apply all slurry using LESS equipment.

The use of LESS equipment is already mandatory for farmers with a grassland stocking rate of 130kg/ha and higher organic nitrogen (including derogation farmers), pig farmers and for slurry applied to arable lands, where the slurry is not being incorporated into the soil within 24 hours.

Farmers with a grassland stocking rate of less than 100kg/ha organic nitrogen are allowed to use a splash plate.