Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is more than welcome. I am raising the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme, TAMS, and the issue we have with time-sensitive applications and delays in the system. TAMS is a very important scheme for the agricultural community. It provides grant aid and helps to ensure we modify our systems to become more appropriate. We have schemes for solar farms, low emissions, slurry spreading and tillage, which is also a very important scheme. There is also the dairy scheme.

We need to make sure there is a more efficient way of dealing with TAMS applications. There are farmers who applied under the scheme last May.They have gone through a process. They are now in a scenario where they will be drying off their cows next week and they cannot move ahead with the proposed construction of a milking parlour, storage and what is required. Because of that, whether they are in west Limerick or west Cork, the farming community is stalled because the Department cannot process applications. This is very significant for the many farmers who need to modernise their systems, make sure they are compliant with the new regulations that are brought forward and invest in their practice and their farm for the next generation to move forward.

Applications have been sitting there since last May. I know of farmers who have builders lined up and cows being dried off at the weekend, but they cannot move forward. We need to know when the application is going to be approved. If it is approved next January, it is no good because the cows are calving. This is a time-sensitive issue. They either get the application approved in the next seven days or they have 12 months to do it. There is no point coming back to anyone in the industry who was going to put in a milking parlour and tell them to start next January when the cows are calving. It just does not work.

What we need now is for the Department to work – and to work on Saturday and Sunday if necessary - to make sure that these time-sensitive applications are worked through and delivered in the next week. If they are not delivered in the next week, despite this talk about helping the farming community reach climate targets and make sure they have enough storage to meet their nitrates obligations, it just does not work because the farming community cannot get the approval from the Department. This is probably one of the most time-sensitive measures at the moment. What I suggest is that we make a statement regarding the number of farmers who are caught in particular with regard to milking parlours, that they are picked out and visited in the next week and that we get the approval in place. Otherwise, even the people putting in the milking parlours and the industry itself will be halted for 12 months.

It is one of the most significant issues that we have at the moment. I hope we can get movement in the short term. If we do not, there is no panic because there is no point in doing it for the next 12 months because the farmers cannot move forward. We need to get movement on this issue. I appeal to the Minister of State that we need urgent intervention from him and others to make sure this can happen.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Charlie McConalogue.

The TAMS provides grants to farmers to build and-or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings. TAMS 2 closed to applications on 16 December 2022. This extremely successful scheme has paid out more than €427 million in respect of 35,778 payment claims, with processing of claims continuing weekly.

Following the success of TAMS 2, the scope of the scheme and the number of investments available have been significantly increased in TAMS 3. There are now 430 available investments and an increase from seven to ten measures. Reference costs have also been increased. The additional measures are a stand-alone solar capital investment scheme, a farm safety capital investment scheme and a woman farmer capital investment scheme. These three new measures will provide an enhanced grant rate of 60%. The ceiling for the pig and poultry investment scheme has also increased to €500,000. TAMS 3 will be in place for a period of five years until 2027, with an indicative budget of €370 million. The first tranche of TAMS 3 closed on 30 June 2023, with 8,241 applications. The scheme has proved very popular, with an unprecedented level of applications received at almost four times the average number received per tranche under TAMS 2.

To assist farmers who require the construction of slurry and manure storage facilities or urgent animal welfare-related investments for the winter of 2023-24, a priority access facility was provided by the Minister, all of which has now been assessed. Approval has issued in the majority of non-query priority cases. Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine officials have also been in contact with farmers where there is a query on their application to regularise the situation before approval can issue.More than 50% of all investments under tranche 1 are for mobile equipment. To facilitate farmers who apply for mobile equipment, it was decided 100% of eligible applications would receive approval. Applicants may purchase the mobile equipment at their own risk, subject to verification of eligibility in accordance with the terms and conditions of the relevant schemes. Applications received across all the measures in tranche I are currently being processed and all eligible applications will be accepted. An analysis of risk must take place and this is again a regulatory requirement. Once the risk analysis has been completed, approvals are expected to issue. It is anticipated this will commence shortly on a scheme-by-scheme basis, starting with the solar capital investment scheme.

Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I welcome what the Minister of State said about the applications that have been moved forward regarding the slurry storage, which prove it can be done. The dairy equipment scheme element of that is the key issue here. It is a time-sensitive module of the scheme. It is sensitive because 95% of our cows are spring calving. We have the opportunity in the last few days of November and the month of December to do the work in the milking parlour. As the Minister has done it with one scheme, I implore him to do it for the dairy scheme as well. He has proven it can be done. We have farmers in west Cork, west Limerick and all over the place who cannot move ahead because they cannot get the approvals required. We have literally only a few weeks to do this. I plead with the Minister of State to use his initiative and the powers he has to ensure staff are made available for this scheme for the next few weeks, because if we do not we cannot touch it for another 12 months.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

TAMS has been a very successful scheme since its inception. TAMS II provided more than €427 million to farmers to encourage modernisation and it is envisaged TAMS III will be just as successful. The level of uptake in tranche 1 of TAMS III proved the interest farmers have in improving animal welfare and contributing to climate change. The success of the scheme and the large number of applications involved led to increased processing times. Priority approvals are issued to tranche 1 applicants who require slurry and manure storage facilities or urgent animal welfare-related investments. The processing of applications is nearing completion. Approvals for the solar capital investment scheme will issue shortly, with all approvals for all other measures to follow. The Minister, Deputy McConalogue, thanks the Senator for raising the important topic of TAMS III. It will be open for applications until 2027 and will grant-aid farmers a sum of some €370 million over the coming years. This money will improve farm buildings, encourage self-consumption of renewable energy, encourage generational renewal and help farmers meet the considerable costs associated with updating their farms.