Farm Improvement applications to proceed

By Joanne Fox

08 September 07: Applications for the Farm Improvement Scheme (FIS) will now be processed without delay following agreement at a meeting between the Department of Agriculture, Teagasc and the farm organisations last Friday. The controversial health and safety element of the new FIS application has been completely removed. Notably, the HSA were not present at the meeting. The disputed element of the application form required advisors to confirm that the provisions of the Safety, Health Welfare at Work Act 2005 were complied with. Advisors around the country said that they could not be held responsible for this element of the application form, which meant applications could not proceed.

It is expected that applications which have been filled in up to now, without the health and safety section fully complete, will be in a position to be processed with minor adjustments. New applications will proceed minus the health and safety element.

The terms and conditions of the FIS still refer to the 2005 Act, meaning a project supervisor and design person is still required for any building project under the legislation. "While the application form issue has been resolved, the legislation will still have to be adhered to,'' explained IFA's Gerry Gunning, "but the good news is the applications can proceed now.''

A further meeting with the Department, Teagasc, the farming organisations and the HSA on the issue will take place this Friday.

The IFA also got Department assurance at the meeting that the fast-tracking of applications for non building projects, mainly equipment like milking machines and bulk tanks, is happening in offices around the country from this week. To date, 30,000 applications have been approved under the Farm Waste Management Scheme with an estimated €58 million being paid out in grant aid under this scheme.