Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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651. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason contractors that supply services to farmers are not included in TAMS for building sheds or for grants for slurry equipment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17533/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The governing EU Regulation 1305/2013 for the TAMS Schemes specifies that support for investments in physical assets will be granted to farmers or groups of farmers and the Rural Development Programme submitted to the European Commission specified that the beneficiaries under the TAMS II Scheme will be active farmers. This is included in the eligibility criteria laid out in the Terms and Conditions of the TAMS II Schemes.

There is no scope under the current Rural Development Programme to extend the TAMS II  Schemes to agricultural contractors.