James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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493. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to increase the level of support under the TAMS scheme to reflect the need for farmers in County Wexford to purchase low emission slurry spreading technologies that meet the terms of Ireland’s nitrates derogation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4187/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The TAMS II Schemes have been very successful in terms of uptake with the number of applications to date exceeding 15,580 and approvals issued exceeding 12,670.  All of these approvals represent committed expenditure under the TAMS II measure of the Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020.

In the case of the LESS Scheme, 1,070 applications have been received and 905 approvals have issued. Of these approvals 35% amounting to 314 applicants have submitted a payment claim to date. 

58 Wexford based applicants have applied for the LESS Scheme to date and 8 of these have submitted a payment claim and have been paid.

Support is already available under the existing TAMS II Scheme to all applicants who wish to apply for Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment and I encourage the submission of further applications until the Scheme closes for applications in December 2020. I also strongly encourage farmers to act on their existing approvals and draw down the funding available.