With the first tranche of TAMS III now closed for nearly seven weeks, farmers who applied to the scheme have not yet been told if they are accepted or not.

Farmers completing works cannot commence building until they have received approval, or they risk losing the grant aid.

The silence from the Department follows on from an extension of the closing date, from 16 June to 30 June, as despite announcing the scheme in February, the new Women Farmers Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS) only opened for applications on 21 June.

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IFA Rural Development chair, Michael Biggins, called on Minister McConalogue and the Department to end the silence and clarify where farmers stand with their TAMS applications.

“At the minute, there are thousands of farmers around the country who have made applications for TAMS that have no idea whether or not they have been approved, never mind when they might hope to start works or be paid for it.

“It’s madness altogether and creating huge frustration, particularly among farmers tight on animal housing or slurry storage for the coming winter,” Biggins said.

The Irish Farmers Journal understands that upwards of 8,000 farmers applied for tranche I of the scheme, with approximately 25% of these applying under the Farm Safety scheme, which carries a 60% grant rate.