The highest number of applications for the Farm Safety Scheme came from Co Cork. There were 821 farmers from Cork who applied for the scheme before its deadline at the end of January. This represents 13% of all applications.

In total, the Department of Agriculture received 6,299 applications to the scheme. After Cork, the highest number of applications came from farmers in the counties with large volumes of farmers – Galway (573), Donegal (398) and Mayo (333).

Responding to a parliamentary question from Labour TD Michael McCarthy, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney confirmed that a second farm safety scheme will be introduced this year.

Approvals

The full €12.2m funding allocated to the TAMS Farm Safety Scheme looks set to be utilised, according to the Department of Agriculture.

“The average investment proposed by approved applications to date is €5,500,” the Department told the Irish Farmers Journal this week.

With the scheme offering a 40% grant rate, this suggests that the average grant amount per applicant will be approximately €2,200. Were this pattern to hold for all 6,300 applicants then the full €12.2m funding would be utilised.

The Department said that over 6,075 of the applications have been processed at central level.

Approvals have been issued to 1,609 farmers – allowing them start buying and installing safety equipment.

There is an average of four items per approval, it said. “Further approvals are going out on a continuous basis as they are cleared. Another 786 of the processed applications have been queried with individual applicants. The remaining applications are being worked on.”