The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) rural development chair John Curran has said it is essential that the maximum number of farmers are paid and paid promptly.

He was reacting to the commencement of TAMS 3 payments announced by the Department of Agriculture earlier today, 11 June. Many of these TAMS investments were made, and costs incurred, many months ago, particularly for mobile assets, he said.

Costs of materials

"More broadly, TAMS 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. This is particularly relevant given Revenue's changed perspective on items eligible for VAT 58 reclaims," Curran said.

Curran also called for there to be “greater minimisation of bureaucracy/verification to speed up the whole process and help ensure all funding is fully utilised”, and said that “any unused funding within TAMS must be retained and re-circulated for future tranches to support on-farm investment”.