In the first quarter of 2017, 281 planning permissions were granted by local authorities for new farm buildings, the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.

This is back 148 permissions on the first quarter of 2016, when some 429 permissions were lodged.

The number of extensions granted for farm buildings in the first quarter of the year is also back on 2016 levels; some 45 permissions for extensions were granted in the first three months of this year compared with 107 in the first three months of 2016.

In 2016, there was a boom in planning permissions for new builds in agriculture, which coincided with the introduction of the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS II) in mid-2015.

Under the scheme, individual farmers can apply for grants of 40% on investments up to a ceiling of €80,000, while eligible young trained farmers can get a grant of up to 60%.

Those in farm partnerships can avail of funding up to a ceiling of €160,000.

In order to build under the scheme, farmers had to apply for planning permission or apply for a letter of exemption from their county council.

Fall-off in permissions

The fall-off in planning permissions for the first three months of 2017 corresponds with the fall-off in applications under the TAMS II scheme.

Almost 3,000 applications were received under the scheme’s first tranche. This fell to 1,089 applications in the sixth tranche.

The latest data from the Department of Agriculture shows that over 11,600 farmers have applied to the scheme, which will remain open until 2020.

The seventh tranche of the scheme is to close on 30 June 2017.

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