Delays ahead on TAMS II

FAMERS waiting for TAMS II payments on housing and slurry storage projects could face longer delays than those with more basic applications, writes Declan O’Brien

The Department of Agriculture has confirmed that the time taken to process applications for TAMS II payments will depend on the complexity of the investment involved.

Questioned on how quickly the 2,829 applicants for the farm investment programme would be paid, the Department said it would vary.

“In the case of mobile equipment for example, the applications can be processed very speedily,” the Department stated.

“Other investments such as housing and nutrient storage facilities by their nature require closer scrutiny,” the statement added.

The Department response came in the wake of calls this week from the IFA and ICMSA for the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, to ensure that TAMS II payments were cleared as quickly as possible.

The Department insisted that payments would be issued to farmers once claims were checked to ensure eligibility.

However, Patrick Rohan of ICMSA said the serious cashflow crisis in the dairy sector meant farmers who had invested heavily in infrastructure projects under the scheme needed payments to be made immediately.

Mr Rohan said TAMS II payment delays were “simply not acceptable” and “very unfair on the individual farmers affected”.

“Farmers are under massive pressure at present and additional staff resources should be put in place if necessary to ensure payments are made to farmers within the next week,” Mr Rohan said.

IFA rural development chair, Joe Brady, said applicants needed payments to be made speedily.