Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 April 2026
262. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason for the reduction in the funding eligibility threshold for applications under the animal welfare nutrient storage scheme from 80% to 60% under targeted agriculture modernisation schemes 3 (TAMS 3), tranche 10; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27746/26]
View answerThe Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) is a demand-led scheme with a defined budgetary allocation.
TAMS 3 has proved to be extremely popular, with payments of over €152 million issued to farmers since payments commenced in June 2024.
Tranche 10 of TAMS 3 closed for applications on 5 December, with 7,905 applications submitted across all schemes, of which 2,076 applications were submitted under AWNSS.
All eligible applications submitted in the first eight tranches of TAMS 3 have received 100% approval, with over 12,000 approvals issuing under AWNSS to farmers, allowing them to proceed with their investments. This is approximately three times the average number of applications received in the same period under TAMS 2.
Due to the unprecedented success of each of the individual schemes within TAMS 3, in order to manage the defined budget, it was necessary to apply ranking and selection to tranche 10 to ensure adequate funding for the remainder of the CAP Strategic Plan.
