Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 December 2017
190. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to include funding for meal bins for young suckler farmers in the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme, TAMS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53270/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe TAMS II Scheme has been very successful to date in terms of uptake with the number of approvals that have issued exceeding 11,660. All of these approvals represent committed expenditure under the TAMS II measure of the Rural Development Programme 2014 - 2020. Until such time as these approvals are acted upon or expire the budget for TAMS must include provision for the potential expenditure involved. There are no proposals at present to extend the Scheme to include meal bins for non dairy farmers.
Of the applications approved 2,900 payment claims have been received to date. Payment claims submitted continue to be paid on an on- going basis. All participants who have completed approved works are urged to submit their payment claims immediately to facilitate early payment.
