The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) must publish a final list of what items will be included in the new Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS), one farm organisation has said.
Despite speculation about what items will or won’t be included in the next TAMS, which will be known as the On-Farm Capital Investment Scheme (OFCIS), a verified, detailed list has not yet been released.
The scheme will focus in on a number of key areas including organics, renewable energy and farm safety, but information on what exactly farmers may draw down grants for is “urgently” needed, said Dennis Drennan, deputy president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA).
He stated that “the scheme should be open at this stage and people should have the list”.
“We’re calling on the minister to open the scheme and provide the list so that people can start making applications.
“People need to know what’s going on,” he added.
Agriland has contacted the DAFM for clarification on when the final list and the terms and conditions of the scheme will be published, however, no statement was provided on the matter.
The TAMS scheme under the previous CAP programme 2014-2020, did not open until May of 2015.
Drennan pointed out that if the opening of the scheme is delayed any further, those looking to avail of the OFCIS could lose out on a year. He outlined the knock-on effects that postponements have on the process.
“Even if the scheme opened today, there would be a tranche system with a closing date in maybe March or April and approval wouldn’t be got until July at the earliest.
“We’re all talking about improving our environmental footprint, but the reality is we’ll effectively lose a year unless the department opens this ASAP.
“Farmers are making decisions now; they’re trying to plan out their year so they need to know what’s in or out,” he added.
Another issue that may arise could be difficulty in securing an agricultural advisor at the time when applications must be made said Drennan, as the farming calendar will have moved on and they could be booked.
“It is possible that if farmers go looking for a consultant down the line, they might not get one because they’ll be tied up with other things. So that could be an issue too,” he stated.
Teagasc’s organic specialist Joe Kelleher, last night stated that he believes the scheme will open “in the next month or two” and said that he has been told the costings for included items are still in progress.
Jack Nolan, senior inspector at the department confirmed that these costings will be revised when the scheme officially opens.