Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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136. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 363 of 14 November 2023, if the five-year requirement under the definition of a young farmer, as set by the Government, can be amended within the lifetime of the current scheme and current CAP; if there are plans to amend the definition for future equivalent schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51361/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The EU Regulations governing the operation of young farmer support schemes since 2015 set out that the purpose of the schemes is to provide an income support to young farmers commencing their agricultural activities and after the initial setting-up. The support should only cover the initial period of life of the business and should be granted for a maximum duration shortly after the initial setting up.

In line with these EU Regulations and to maintain consistency with the definition of a young farmer under the CAP from 2015 to 2022, Ireland opted to require eligible young farmers under the CAP 2023 to 2027 to have set up a holding as head of holding, solely or jointly, for the first time or have set up such a holding in the five years preceding the first application for support.

The young farmer definition under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan applies to young farmer support schemes under the CAP from 2022 to 2027. There are no plans to amend this definition for the duration of the current CAP up to 2027.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings. There is an indicative budget of €370 million available for the period 2023-2027, and all investments must be linked to Climate, Environment or Animal Welfare.

Tranche 1 of TAMS 3 closed on 30 June 2023, with a total of 8,241 applications submitted. The scheme has proved very popular, with an unprecedented level of applications received (almost four times the average number received per tranche under TAMS II).

To assist farmers that require the construction of slurry and manure storage facilities, or urgent animal welfare related investments for the winter of 2023/2024, I provided a priority access facility, and all applications received under this facility have now been assessed.

Approvals have now issued to eligible cases, and my Department has also been in contact with farmers where there is a query on their application in order to resolve the query before approval can issue.

More than 50% of all investments under tranche 1 are in respect of mobile equipment. 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.

I also announced that 100% of eligible applications under tranche 1 of TAMS 3 will be approved for funding, which is in keeping with the commitment to assist farmers to address animal welfare, climate and sustainability targets.

Applications received across all the measures in Tranche 1 are currently being processed. Once the initial processing is completed, all applications will be subject to a ranking and selection process, which is a regulatory requirement for all TAMS 3 applications.

All eligible applications will then proceed to further detailed processing, with approvals issuing to successful applications shortly, on a scheme-by-scheme basis, starting with the Solar Capital Investments Scheme.