Over €122 million has remained unclaimed in payments under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) II to date, according to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Labour spokesperson for agriculture deputy Willie Penrose, who asked for the percentage of the TAMS II allocation spent to date, the minister outlined that over €144.9 million has been spent so far.
In a statement on the matter, Minister Creed said:
“An indicative allocation of €395 million was provided for the suite of seven measures available under TAMS II over the course of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
“Including transitional payments, over €144.9 million has been spent to date.
It is estimated that there are outstanding commitments of over €122 million in terms of approvals that have issued but have not yet matured to payment stage because the applicants have yet to submit their claims.
“Applications continue to be submitted on a tranche-by-tranche basis and Tranche 14 is currently open,” the minister concluded.
Tranche 14 of the scheme opened on Saturday, April 6, and will remain open for applications until Friday, July 5.
The current tranche incorporates applications under the: Young Farmers’ Capital Investment Scheme; Dairy Equipment Scheme; Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) Equipment Scheme; Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme; Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme; Organic Capital Investment Scheme; and Tillage Capital Investment Scheme options.