Eligible young farmers have less than two weeks left to apply for the first tranche of the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme.
The scheme which has been highly anticipated by young farmers with grant aid of 60% available for eligible investments closes to applications for its first trache on September 18.
The online system for preparing applications for the €120m Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme went live in mid-June.
The Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, stressed that this is just the first tranche of applications under TAMS.
See also: A full list of everything eligible for new young farmer grants
He said these tranches will be organised regularly. “It is important for farmers to remember that, particularly when they need time to organise planning-permission for any new construction,” he said.
Planning is one of the key areas which will hold up applications for the Young Farmer Capital Investment scheme as the Department of Agriculture is looking for full planning permission, or a letter of exemption for all fixed structures, at time of application to the new TAMS II schemes.
TAMS I
The deadline for completion of work under TAMS I is to be extended by two weeks.
The move means that the deadline will go from August 31 to September 14, but it will only apply to work that has already commenced in the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS I).
The TAMS schemes in question includes the Dairy Equipment Scheme, Sheep Handling Scheme and the Farm Safety Scheme.
The TAMS scheme was introduced under the 2007-2013 RDP and the regulations detailed very tight time-limits that are applicable as far as the completion of work by farmers is concerned.
All work must now be completed and a payment claim lodged with the Department by September 14 (instead of August 31) in order to make the deadlines for payment established by regulation.