Just one third of farmers’ challenges against Department of Agriculture scheme decisions were successful with the Agricultural Appeals Office in 2025.
That success rate is the joint-lowest level seen since 2004.
Of the 167 appeals which had some success, only 80 were fully allowed.
Some 69 cases were settled by a revised Department decision.
A total of 236 appeals were disallowed with another 85 withdrawn, invalid, or out of time. The overall number of appeals to the office in 2025, at 417, was the lowest since 2007. The appeals office said the fall in the number of challenges to Department of Agriculture decisions on scheme penalties or payment eligibility is the continuation of a pattern seen in recent years.
TAMS appeal
The office linked the fall to the greater awareness of the need for strict compliance with scheme terms and conditions, coupled with the move to online applications.
In one example, a farmer’s TAMS application was disallowed as the payment for the works undertaken came from a joint account held with the farmer’s spouse who was also farming in their own right.
Joint account
The applicant said their spouse was named on the joint account to facilitate day-to-day management of the household.
This appeal failed as the terms and conditions of the TAMS scheme clearly state that payment for works cannot be issued from a joint account where a spouse is farming in their own right.
SHARING OPTIONS