The Department of Agriculture is planning to move all applications for farm improvement grant schemes (TAMS II) under the new Rural Development Programme online.

The Department says the planned system for TAMS II applications will have built-in validations and it hopes will do much to short-circuit some of the problems identified with the paper based application system.

The move is part of an increasing trend in the Department to move to more online based application platforms.

Over 70,000 farmers submitted their Single Farm Payment online in 2014 with the figure rising exponentially since the facility became available.

TAMS II, funded through the Rural Development programme, is set to open in July and will incorporate a number of supports for farm improvements.

In its Rural Development Plan submission to the Commission the Department said investment in physical assets will enable the sector to respond to a wide range of policy challenges, including the cessation of milk quotas from 2015, the need for more modern and efficient infrastructure, animal health and welfare issues.