The number of applications put forward for consideration under tranche 18 of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme II (TAMS II) has been recorded at 4,914. There were 3,448 new applications submitted meaning that some 1,466 applications or 30% of total applications to tranche 18 were carried over from tranche 17.

The high number of applications is a worry to farmers who applied to tranche 18 or had applications carried over as it means there is likely to be another significant number of applications carried forward into tranche 19. The sharp jump in applications to tranche 17, as reflected in Figure 1, resulted from the closing date for applications being pushed back from 24 April to 5 June.

There were 4,953 new applications received, which was by far the highest number since the scheme opened while there were also 648 applications (lowest ranking 20% of tranche 16) carried forward.

The 5,601 applications submitted under the tranche had a value of over €77.8m, almost as high as the funding outlined for the scheme in 2020.

The reason given for the extension was to facilitate farmers and advisers who could not meet to finalise applications due to Covid-19. Reports indicate there was also a late push by farmers to get applications submitted due to uncertainty surrounding the operation of subsequent tranches.

This uncertainty remains in place with no closing date listed for the current tranche of TAMS which opened on 22 August and no details published as to whether there will be a tranche 20 opened before the end of year.

Monitoring

The latest update on tranche 18 was outlined by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue in response to a parliamentary question while an update on tranche 17 was outlined on the Department of Agriculture website.

The minister outlined that due to tight budget constraints expenditure was being monitored on a weekly basis.

The level of payments in recent weeks is running in the region of €1.2m to €1.4m. The latest Department of Agriculture schemes payment update shows €238.715m paid to date to 16,223 applicants, while there are a further 900 applications being processed for payment.

It is entirely a matter for the applicant whether they wish to proceed

There have been a total of 31,129 approvals issued to date under the scheme with some of these applications now lapsed and the application-to-completion rate running at about two-thirds of submissions. The most recent update on active applications, for which a payment claim has not been submitted, is in excess of 6,000.

Minister McConalogue said: “Given the tight budgetary situation, I would certainly prefer that applicants with existing approvals who do not intend to proceed with the investment to contact my Department, so that we can use that financial commitment for other applicants. Applicants with an existing approval have a six-month, 12-month or, in some cases, a 36-month window to complete their investment. It is entirely a matter for the applicant whether they wish to proceed.”

Ineligible applications

Applicants who were ineligible for tranche 17 based on ranking were recently informed of this and given information on how their application scored and the cut-off score for the scheme to which they applied.

These applications were automatically carried forward to tranche 18 but can be withdrawn and resubmitted if an applicant wishes to change anything which they feel may give them a better score on the selection criteria. The same process is likely to be used for tranche 18.