Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon has confirmed that ranking and selection will continue to be applied to applications received in the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3).

Similar to tranche 9, the minister said that priority will be given to applications under farm safety and nutrient storage schemes.

7,906 applications were received by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) for tranche 10, which closed on December 5.

This brings the total number of applications received in the first ten tranches under TAMS 3 to 59,302.

TAMS

TAMS 3 provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holding.

The scheme is jointly funded by the national exchequer and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union under Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan 2023-2027.

"TAMS 3 continues to be a very successful scheme, with payments of almost €139 million issued to farmers to invest in their holdings," Minister Heydon said.

"Being mindful of the budgetary constraints, I have decided, similar to tranche 9, to apply ranking and selection to tranche 10, due to the huge number of applications received, which is three times the number received over the equivalent period of TAMS 2.

"In taking this decision, I have ensured that, despite increased numbers of applications, there will be a similar number of applications approved for nutrient storage investments as was the case in tranche 9," he added.

Applications

Minister Heydon said the numbers of applications received, and approvals issued, to date under certain schemes "have well exceeded our expectations".

"For example, in the case of the Solar Capital Investment Scheme, over 20% of the TAMS budget has been spent on this measure alone.

"This will apply to applications submitted in the next tranche, commencing on March, 7," he said.

Minister Heydon also confirmed that 100% of eligible applications under the farm safety scheme will again be selected under this tranche.

"Farm safety is of huge importance on all farms regardless of the type of farming enterprise. Therefore I have again decided to approve all eligible applications submitted under this measure.

"I would urge farmers to continue to assess their holdings from a health and safety perspective, and to seek support to address any issues," he said.

Ranking and selection

The department has outlined that ranking and selection will be applied at the following rates across each scheme to manage the number of approvals under tranche 10:

Solar Capital Investment Scheme (SCIS) – 10% selection;
Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS) - 10% selection;
Animal Welfare Nutrient Storage (AWNSS) - 60% selection;
Women Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS) - 60% selection;
Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS) - 60% selection;
Organic Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (OFCIS) - 60% selection;
Dairy Equipment Scheme (DES) - 10% selection;
Pig & Poultry Investment Scheme (PPIS) - 60% selection;
Tillage Capital Investment Scheme (TCIS) - 50% selection;
Farm Safety Capital Investment Scheme (FSCIS) - 100% selection.

DAFM also confirmed the 2026 TAMS 3 tranche closing dates as follows:

Tranche 11 - March 6, 2026;
Tranche 12 - June 5, 2026;
Tranche 13 - September 4, 2026;
Tranche 14 - December 4, 2026.