"Can I get a grant for an agri-drone?" is one of the most searched questions in the Irish agri-drone space — and one of the least well answered. The honest truth is complicated: some funding routes exist, others are frustratingly close but not quite there, and the landscape is changing as precision agriculture becomes more central to CAP delivery. This is the most complete answer available as of April 2026.
Grant schemes open, close, and change eligibility criteria regularly. The information below is accurate as of April 2026 but you must verify current status directly with DAFM, your Teagasc advisor, or the relevant scheme administrator before making any investment decision based on grant expectations. Ring-fencing a purchase on the assumption of grant support that may not materialise is a significant financial risk.
TAMS3 — Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme
What Is TAMS3?
TAMS3 (Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme 3) is the main Irish capital grant scheme for on-farm investment, operated by DAFM under Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027. It provides grant aid at 40% (or 60% for young farmers) of eligible investment costs, up to defined reference costs per item.
Are Agri-Drones Eligible Under TAMS3?
This is the key question — and the honest answer is: not clearly, as of April 2026.
TAMS3 has multiple tranches covering different investment categories. The scheme includes a Precision Farming Equipment Tranche which covers items like GPS guidance systems, variable rate spreaders, soil sampling equipment, and crop sensors. The policy intent of this tranche is directly aligned with precision agriculture — the same space agri-drones occupy.
However, agricultural drones are not listed as eligible items in the current TAMS3 reference cost list as of the April 2026 review. This reflects a policy lag — TAMS3 was designed before agri-drone technology was commercially established in an Irish context, and the ineligibility of drones for spraying (due to the regulatory situation) makes it difficult for DAFM to justify including spraying drones as eligible capital investments.
What Could Change This?
Two scenarios could bring agri-drones within TAMS3 eligibility:
- Addition of multispectral/monitoring drones to the Precision Farming Tranche. Drones used purely for crop health monitoring, mapping, and data collection could be argued as precision farming equipment. This does not require the spraying derogation — it's a separate policy decision. This is the most actionable near-term ask and should be included in any advocacy engagement with DAFM or your TD.
- Addition of agri-spraying drones once a national derogation is in place. Once drone spraying is legal in Ireland, the policy case for including spraying drones in TAMS3 becomes very strong — particularly given the alignment with Ireland's pesticide reduction obligations.
What IS Eligible Under TAMS3 That Relates to Precision Farming?
While drones aren't currently eligible, some related equipment is — and an agri-drone operation benefits from these:
- Variable rate fertiliser spreaders with GPS section control
- Soil moisture sensors and monitoring equipment
- GPS guidance and auto-steer systems
- Data management software (some categories)
A farm that invests in the data infrastructure around precision farming — and demonstrates precision farming practice — is better positioned to justify and utilise drone data. It's a complementary investment ecosystem.
ACRES — Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme
What Is ACRES?
ACRES is Ireland's main agri-environment scheme under CAP 2023–2027, with a budget of approximately €1.5 billion and participation from over 50,000 Irish farmers. It pays farmers for delivering public goods — biodiversity, water quality, climate action — through defined farm management actions.
Can Drones Help with ACRES Compliance?
Drones don't currently attract direct ACRES payments — there is no ACRES action called "buy a drone." However, drone technology is directly relevant to ACRES in several important ways:
ACRES requires farmers to complete a Farm Sustainability Assessment identifying habitats, water features, and other ecological elements. Drone mapping produces the most detailed and accurate farm-level habitat mapping available — significantly better than what's achievable from walking the farm. While ACRES doesn't specify drone mapping as required, farmers using drone data for their baseline assessments have better evidence and are better positioned at inspection.
Several ACRES actions require evidence of management activity — rush removal, scrub control, hedgerow management, riparian buffer maintenance. Drone imagery provides auditable, date-stamped spatial evidence of before/after conditions that is far more compelling than farmer self-declaration. This may become increasingly important as ACRES monitoring frameworks develop.
ACRES water quality actions around riparian zones, buffer strips, and wetland management benefit from regular monitoring. Drone surveys of watercourses provide the spatial documentation needed to demonstrate compliance with buffer strip requirements and identify areas needing attention.
For farmers with ACRES or eco-scheme actions involving cover crops, drone imagery can verify establishment and coverage — providing photographic evidence of successful establishment that supports payment claims.
The strategic play here is that agri-drone investment today — even before direct ACRES payments for drone use exist — builds the spatial data and compliance evidence infrastructure that will become increasingly valuable as the scheme matures and scrutiny increases.
Enterprise Ireland / Local Enterprise Offices — For Drone Service Businesses
If You're Building a Drone Services Business (Not Just a Farmer)
The funding landscape is quite different if you're establishing an agri-drone services company rather than buying a drone for your own farm.
Enterprise Ireland (EI) supports Irish companies developing innovative products and services with export potential. An agri-drone services company with a technology or data platform component could be eligible for:
- Enterprise Ireland Competitive Start Fund (€50,000 equity investment for early-stage companies)
- EI Innovation Vouchers (€5,000 for companies to work with research providers)
- EI Research, Development and Innovation grants for companies developing proprietary agri-drone data products
Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) provide grants for micro-enterprises (under 10 employees):
- Feasibility Study grants (up to €15,000 — 50% eligible costs)
- Business Development or Priming grants for new enterprises (up to €80,000 — 50% eligible)
- Trading Online Voucher Scheme (up to €2,500 for online presence development)
For an entrepreneur building an Irish agri-drone services company, LEO and EI supports are far more accessible than farming-specific schemes — and the total quantum of support available is potentially much larger.
EU Horizon and Innovation Funding
Research and Pilot Project Funding
For agri-drone operations with a research or pilot programme dimension, EU Horizon Europe funding is potentially available. The EU has specifically ring-fenced Horizon funding for precision agriculture and drone technology research. Key programmes:
- Horizon Europe Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture): Research funding for precision agriculture innovation, including drone applications
- EIP-AGRI (European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability): Operational group funding for farmer-led innovation projects, including precision farming pilots
- LIFE Programme: EU environmental funding — relevant for drone applications in habitat monitoring, peatland restoration, invasive species management
These programmes require significant administrative capacity and typically suit organisations (research institutions, agri-tech companies, cooperatives) rather than individual farmers — but knowing they exist opens partnership opportunities.
IFA and Co-op Purchase Schemes
Collective Buying Power
The Irish Farmers Association and several agricultural co-operatives (particularly Lakeland Dairies, Dairygold, Tirlán) negotiate preferential pricing on farm inputs and equipment for members. As agri-drone technology matures in Ireland, IFA and co-op collective purchasing agreements for drone equipment and services are a natural development — similar to the agreements that exist for precision fertiliser spreading equipment.
Engaging your co-op's farm services department about agri-drone equipment purchasing or service agreements is worth doing now — even if the schemes don't exist yet, demonstrating member interest is how they get created.
What To Do Right Now
Teagasc advisors have the most current information on TAMS3 eligibility and upcoming scheme openings. Ask specifically about whether multispectral drone equipment has been added to any eligible category — schemes are updated periodically.
If you're planning an agri-drone services operation, not just own-farm use, LEO support is potentially significant. Make the call — it's free advice and the worst outcome is they tell you what you don't yet qualify for.
The most direct route to getting drones into TAMS3 is IFA putting it on the agenda in scheme review discussions with DAFM. If you're an IFA member, raise it at your local branch meeting.
Monitoring-capable drones (DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral, ~€5,500) are below the threshold where grant support meaningfully changes the investment decision for most farmers. The data you build this season has value regardless of future grant availability.
We'll Track Every Funding Development
TAMS3 scheme updates, ACRES action changes, and any new precision farming funding — we'll cover it as it happens. Subscribe to the Hexagon.ie newsletter and never miss a funding opportunity.