Rural Ireland looks set for a major construction boom under a series of farm modernisation and environment schemes for which €335 million is being made available.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Mary Coughlan announced yesterday that €85 million had been set aside for the new Farm Improvement Scheme to help farms modernise over the next seven years. The announcement follows the closing date for the Farm Waste Management Scheme last week for which €250 million will be provided to help farmers meet their commitments under the EU nitrates directive.
Over 40,000 farmers have applied to the department to carry out work on their farms to store slurry and control waste on their lands. Grants of up to 70 per cent have been made available to farmers in certain counties where slurry must be stored for longer periods of time because of soil conditions.
Yesterday's announcement, part of the overall €6.8 billion package for the development of rural Ireland contained in the seven-year National Development Plan, has been designed to make farms more competitive and to enhance the environment and countryside.
Grants of up to €120,000 will be available for dairy hygiene works and there will be 40 per cent grants for animal housing and related storage facilities.
Grants of up to €40,000 will be available for milking machines and bulk milk tanks. There will also be grants for out-wintering pad, meal bins and silos, mats on slats, cubicle beds, internal concrete areas, mobile sheep-handling facilities, calf-feeding systems and slurry separators. The Minister said the latest announcement delivered on the commitment in the Agri Vision 2015 Action Plan.