To date over 5,700 approvals have issued for the various schemes in TAMS II and over 700 claims for payment have been submitted by farmers, the most up-to-date figures from the Department of Agriculture show.

Of the 700 submitted claims for payment, over 310 farmers have been paid under the scheme. 

A Department spokesperson said that all of the payment claims submitted online are being processed as quickly as possible.

Where issues have arisen with payment claims the Department is working with individual farmers to resolve any outstanding queries and allow payment to proceed.

There are almost 10,000 farmers enrolled in the TAMS II scheme. Tranche five of the scheme remains open for the submission of applications up to and including January 13, 2017.

Also Read: 5 schemes every farmer needs to know about in 2017

TAM II compromises of six individual schemes which includes the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS), Dairy Equipment Scheme (DES) and Organic Capital Investment Scheme (OCIS).

The TAMS II suite of schemes proceeds TAMS I, the Farm Waste Management Scheme and the Farm Improvement Scheme.

The scheme presents farmers with investment opportunities that will allow for the development of Irish agriculture.

The benefits of TAMS II range from the construction of new animal housing, the provision of nutrient storage facilities and the ever-important safety elements along with a more environmentally friendly approach to slurry spreading.

In order to be considered eligible for the scheme, farmers need to make an investment of at least €2,000 to be eligible for grant aid under this scheme.

Also Read: Key scheme payment dates farmers should know about in 2017

According to the Department of Agriculture, grant aid will only be paid on approved, completed and eligible expenditure.

Under TAMS II, individual farmers can apply for grant aid of 40% on investments up to a ceiling of €80,000, this is a maximum individual payment of €32,000.

Farmers which reach this grant aid ceiling are not eligible to apply for any other of the TAMS II schemes with the exception of the LESS.