The targeted agricultural modernisation scheme (TAMS II) was launched in the summer of 2015. TAMS II provides grant aid for a wide variety of on-farm investments for various enterprises. The schemes provided under TAMS II include:
Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme. Dairy Equipment Scheme. Organic Capital Investment Scheme. Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment Scheme. Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme. Animal Welfare Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme. Tillage Capital Investment Scheme. 
When it was launched initially, some farmers experienced delays receiving approval to start work. This was caused by IT issues with the newly developed online application system. These delays are no longer as severe but many farmers argue that the pace could be increased. The sixth tranche of TAMS II closed for applications last Friday, 7 April. Farmers planning on making an application through TAMS should not worry because tranches will open and close from now until 2020. The seventh tranche of the scheme is currently open for applications and this tranche will close on 30 June 2017.
Approvals
There has been a total of 11,669 applications to TAMS II since it launched and 7,093 approvals issued to farmers to start work so far. Table 1 shows a breakdown of the applications made and approvals issued for the first six tranches. Approvals are starting to be issued for the fifth tranche of TAMS, which closed on 13 January this year. All of the applications in a given tranche are ranked and assessed together after it closes. When this ranking and assessment is carried out, approvals are issued. The time it takes to receive approval after the tranche closes has ranged widely in the past.
Some applications can take four to seven months to receive approval while others can take longer. Once farmers receive approval, they must carry out the investment and make a separate online payment claim. Depending on the type of investment, farmers must complete the work either within six or 12 months from the date of issue of approval to the completion of investment and submission of payment claim. This time limit only applies to farmers who successfully apply in the sixth tranche and any subsequent tranche. Farmers who were approved in tranches one to five have three years to complete any type of investment.
Rejections
The Department says 901 applications were rejected to date. The main reasons for rejection included:
Grant of full planning permission or exemption was not granted within the timeframe.Investments below the minimum cost per application (€2,000). Applicants did not have the minimum land declared in BPS or production units required for the scheme. All the required documentation not provided in support of the application within the timeframe required. Some 1,214 farmers lodged a payment claim and 708 farmers were approved for payment. The Department says it takes three weeks to receive payment once payment approval is issued. A total of €8.9m has been paid in the scheme so far. However, some farmers have contacted the Irish Farmers Journal to express their anger regarding the delays with the issue of payments. Many of these farmers have thousands of euro borrowed and are paying more interest than was previously planned for because of payment delays. The Department says that where there is a penalty to be applied to a payment claim, the IT functionality is still being developed to cater for these cases.
The targeted agricultural modernisation scheme (TAMS II) was launched in the summer of 2015. TAMS II provides grant aid for a wide variety of on-farm investments for various enterprises. The schemes provided under TAMS II include:
Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme. Dairy Equipment Scheme. Organic Capital Investment Scheme. Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment Scheme. Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme. Animal Welfare Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme. Tillage Capital Investment Scheme.
When it was launched initially, some farmers experienced delays receiving approval to start work. This was caused by IT issues with the newly developed online application system. These delays are no longer as severe but many farmers argue that the pace could be increased. The sixth tranche of TAMS II closed for applications last Friday, 7 April. Farmers planning on making an application through TAMS should not worry because tranches will open and close from now until 2020. The seventh tranche of the scheme is currently open for applications and this tranche will close on 30 June 2017.
Approvals
There has been a total of 11,669 applications to TAMS II since it launched and 7,093 approvals issued to farmers to start work so far. Table 1 shows a breakdown of the applications made and approvals issued for the first six tranches. Approvals are starting to be issued for the fifth tranche of TAMS, which closed on 13 January this year. All of the applications in a given tranche are ranked and assessed together after it closes. When this ranking and assessment is carried out, approvals are issued. The time it takes to receive approval after the tranche closes has ranged widely in the past.
Some applications can take four to seven months to receive approval while others can take longer. Once farmers receive approval, they must carry out the investment and make a separate online payment claim. Depending on the type of investment, farmers must complete the work either within six or 12 months from the date of issue of approval to the completion of investment and submission of payment claim. This time limit only applies to farmers who successfully apply in the sixth tranche and any subsequent tranche. Farmers who were approved in tranches one to five have three years to complete any type of investment.
Rejections
The Department says 901 applications were rejected to date. The main reasons for rejection included:
Grant of full planning permission or exemption was not granted within the timeframe.Investments below the minimum cost per application (€2,000). Applicants did not have the minimum land declared in BPS or production units required for the scheme. All the required documentation not provided in support of the application within the timeframe required. Some 1,214 farmers lodged a payment claim and 708 farmers were approved for payment. The Department says it takes three weeks to receive payment once payment approval is issued. A total of €8.9m has been paid in the scheme so far. However, some farmers have contacted the Irish Farmers Journal to express their anger regarding the delays with the issue of payments. Many of these farmers have thousands of euro borrowed and are paying more interest than was previously planned for because of payment delays. The Department says that where there is a penalty to be applied to a payment claim, the IT functionality is still being developed to cater for these cases.
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