252 approval letters for priority cases under the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) have been issued to date, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has confirmed.
In response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy, Minister McConalogue said that Tranche 1 of TAMS 3 closed on June 30, 2023.
8,241 applications were received by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) across the ten separate measures under the scheme.
TAMS provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings.
There is an indicative budget of €370 million available for the period 2023-2027, and all investments must be linked to climate, environment or animal welfare.
TAMS
“Overall, the scheme has proved very popular, with an unprecedented level of applications received, almost four times the average number received per tranche under TAMS 2,” the minister said.
“Applications received across all of the measures in Tranche 1 are currently being processed.
“Once the initial processing is completed all applications will be subject to a ranking and selection process, which is a regulatory requirement for all TAMS 3 applications,” he said.
The minister provided a “priority access facility” to assist farmers that required the construction of slurry and manure storage facilities, or urgent animal welfare related investments for the winter of 2023/2024.
He added that all applications received under this facility have now been assessed.
“Approvals have now issued to 252 eligible priority access cases, and my department has also been in contact with farmers where there is a query on their application in order to resolve the issue before approval can issue.
“Non-priority approval letters for tranche 1 applications have now started to issue, commencing with the Solar Capital Investment Scheme.
“It is anticipated that the majority of approvals under tranche 1 will issue by April 2024,” he said.
The minister noted that over half of all investments under tranche 1 are in respect of mobile equipment.
“Applicants may purchase the mobile equipment, at their own risk, subject to verification of eligibility in accordance with the terms and conditions of the relevant schemes,” he said.
McConalogue previously confirmed that all eligible applications under tranche 1 of TAMS 3 will be approved for funding.