Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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263. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will issue commencement and approval notices prior to January 2016 under the second targeted agricultural modernisation scheme to facilitate new entrants in installing new equipment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44009/15]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Interest in TAMS to date has exceeded expectations and clearly many Irish farmers are looking once again at the benefits of investing in their enterprises and expanding production. Under the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme a total of 520 applications have been received with over 200 of these applying for dairy investments while over a thousand applications have been submitted for the Dairy Equipment Scheme. All applications received are being examined and approvals will commence when all of the required checks have been undertaken. This is a complex process and as all applications for TAMS 2 must be made under a tranche-based approach, we are required to evaluate, rank and assess all applications received together. Applications cannot be approved individually or on a rolling basis as they are submitted.

It is anticipated that approvals will commence shortly and will continue throughout December and into the New Year. Every effort is being made to facilitate approvals in cases where milking equipment is urgently required.