March 4, 2021 1:54 pm The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has proposed that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) immediately reviews the reference costs being used for Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) investments to reflect the increased cost of materials in recent months. It follows a meeting of the Farmers Charter Committee today (Thursday, March 4). TAMS provides grants for on-farm capital investment and offers grant aid of 40% towards the cost of certain investments and up to 60% in the case of young farmers. Increased costs Chairperson of ICMSA Farm and Rural Affairs Committee, Denis Drennan, said that the cost of steel has increased substantially with the result that farmers expecting a 40% or 60% grant will see a substantially reduced grant in reality.