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There is sufficient funding available to extend TAMS until 2022, according to the IFA.
The scheme was originally due to run until 2020, but with just over half of the funding spent to date, the IFA says the scheme should be extended to allow more farmers time to apply.
IFA rural development chair Michael Biggins said that this would be possible under CAP transitional regulations and that the issue had been raised with the Department of Agriculture.
Overall budget
To date, some €204m of the overall €395m budget has been spent, with 13,558 payments made to farmers, averaging €15,046 per farmer.
The remaining 12,958 farmers have been granted approval but have not drawn down funds.
If these farmers were to draw down the average amount the budget would be fully allocated, but the IFA pointed out that a high number of these approvals are due to expire, leaving a vast potential underspend.
Biggins pointed out that part of the issue is the number of farmers who want to access TAMS but whose approvals are being continuously rolled over.
Approvals
He said the IFA had learned that just 80% of applicants had been approved in the latest tranche, meaning 600 farmers had been moved to the next tranche.
Over 300 of the farmers had been rolled over on three successive occasions.
Biggins called on Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to “sort out the backlog” and pointed out that with an economic downturn looming, many rural communities would benefit from new building work.
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