James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is very helpful information. I reiterate that the waiting lists and the backlog that is occurring in the TAMS administration office within the Minister’s Department needs to be reduced urgently. It is great to hear of the work that is being done in terms of prioritisation of cases. May I bring a couple of cases to the attention of the Minister? These are people who are very much caught up in the delays. There is urgency to these cases. The Minister rightly referred to animal welfare. These improvements are about providing infrastructure for the proper care of animals on farms. In addition, there has been growth on many farms throughout the country in recent years in the context of the post-quota era. That puts additional stress and strain on existing and older farm infrastructure. It is why the continuation of TAMS is critical and the scheme has been so successful in its take-up. I would like that to be explored further.

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