14,000 TAMS 3 approvals have issued so far
Speaking this week, assistant secretary in the department Paul Savage said that a total of 21,115 applications were submitted in the first three tranches of TAMS 3, the final one of which closed in April.
Around 14,000 approvals have issued so far as part of the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3).
Under tranche one, of the 8,203 applications received, 7,155 have been approved. Under tranche two, of the 9,110 applications received, there have been 6,844 approvals issued so far by the Department of Agriculture.
Speaking this week, assistant secretary in the department Paul Savage said that a total of 21,115 applications were submitted in the first three tranches of TAMS 3, the final one of which closed in April.
Mr Savage said that farmers can expect approvals in respect of all tranche two applications by the end of this month.
Responding to criticism around the delayed rollout of TAMS 3, Mr Savage said that development of the scheme has involved a "significant upgrade of systems to cater for the new investments and increased ceilings across the various schemes".
"The huge number of applications in tranche one - more than 8,000 - was four times the average amount received per tranche under TAMS 2, while the 21,115 applications received over the first three tranches is almost three times the volume of applications received in the corresponding three tranches of TAMS 2," he told the Oireachtas joint committee on agriculture, food and the marine.
"A priority access facility was provided to assist farmers that required the construction of slurry and manure storage facilities, or urgent animal welfare-related investments for the winter of 2023/2024. All applications received under this facility have now been assessed.
"I would also point out that more than 50% of all investments 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."
TAMS 3 payments commenced in June, and are continuing to issue. So far, approximately €3.5m in payments has issued to farmers.
A review of the TAMS reference costs is expected in the second half of this year, with revised costs likely to be published in the middle of next year.
Mr Savage said that the last time they were reviewed was in late 2022 / early 2023, and the next one will "allow us to address any particular issue that's there in terms of costs being out of kilter".
Aside from "some exceptions", he said that the references are reflecting the real costs for farmers.
The review of reference costs is based on a comparison with receipted costs, but also the department looks at data from quantity surveyors, the CSO, and from engineering and building provider companies.
The department's John Muldowney said that at the moment, "for most items, we're reasonably close".
"At no point do we want to race ahead of what the prices are - otherwise you spur on the industry to push up the costs," he said.
"This is always a very hard balancing act that we have to manage."
However, according to the Irish Farmers' Association, reference costs are "very much out of kilter with prevailing costs of materials".
"Investment ceilings and costs need to be reviewed upwards to better reflect the new cost realities," the IFA's national rural development chairman John Curran said previously.
The chairman of the farm business committee of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association Pat O'Brien recently said there are farmers "no longer even considering TAMS, as the reference costings on which the grant is based move into the realms of fantasy".
“We have repeatedly pointed out that TAMS costings were drifting into unreality but it must be obvious to everyone by now that the grant paid on TAMS projects is way off the 40% level for farmers and the 60% for young farmers," Mr O'Brien said.
