TAMS 3 Dairy Equipment Scheme
A grant of 40% of your approved costs on milking and cooling equipment, up to €90,000 on one holding or €160,000 for a registered farm partnership.
Last checked August 2026
What it is
Grant aid at 40% towards milking and milk storage equipment: milking machines and cluster units, robotic milkers, auto washers, bulk tanks and milk silos, plate coolers, ice builders, water heaters and ICAR-certified milk recording meters. Ceiling €90,000, €160,000 for a partnership. Applications run in tranches, so check the current closing date before you commit to the spend.
Who can get it
- You have at least 5 hectares declared under BISS, or 20 production units.
- You are spending at least €2,000 in the application.
- You are buying from the dairy list, such as a milking machine, cluster units, a robotic milker, an auto washer, a bulk tank, a milk silo, an ice builder, a plate cooler, a water heater, a heat transfer unit or a backup PTO generator.
- You apply online through your agfood.ie account before the tranche closes. Tranche 13 closes 4 September 2026.
- Only 20% of eligible applications were selected in Tranche 12, the second lowest of the eleven schemes. Four out of five farmers who applied did not get in, so plan your spend on the basis that you may have to wait for a later tranche.
- Ranking and Selection decides it. Where more applications arrive than the budget allows, the department ranks them, and in Tranche 12 that left only 20% of dairy applications selected.
- Milk recording gear is eligible. An ICAR certified milk meter is on the list alongside the machine itself.
- Solar panels for the parlour are a different scheme with its own ring-fenced €90,000, so they do not come out of this ceiling. Low emission slurry spreading kit has its own €40,000 as well.
- The minimum spend is €2,000, and you can put in more than one application in the same tranche.
How to apply
Applications go through DAFM. The official page has the full eligibility rules and the application itself.
Go to the official page →Checked against the official source on 28 August 2026. Always confirm the details on the official page before applying.
Questions people ask
How much is the dairy equipment grant worth?
It pays 40% of your approved costs. The ceiling is €90,000 per holding, or €160,000 for a registered farm partnership. The minimum spend on an application is €2,000.
Am I big enough to qualify?
You need at least 5 hectares declared under BISS, or 20 production units. If you meet either of those, you can apply. Applications go in online through your agfood.ie account.
Are robotic milking machines covered?
Yes. A robotic milking machine is on the eligible list, as are milking machines and cluster units for a new machine or an extension, auto washers, bulk tanks internal or external, milk silos, internal and external ice builders, plate coolers, water heaters, on demand water heaters, heat transfer units and backup PTO generators.
What are my chances of being selected?
Low. In Tranche 12 only 20% of eligible dairy applications were selected. When more applications come in than the budget covers, Ranking and Selection applies and the rest are not funded. Apply, but do not commit to spending until you have approval.
Related guides
- Fuel Income Support Scheme
- TAMS 3 Organic Capital Investment Scheme
- TAMS 3 Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme
- TAMS 3 Nutrient Importation Storage Scheme
- Young Farmer Investment Scheme
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