Relevant Matter
Public policy or programme
Public Policy Area
Agriculture
Period
1 Sep, 2023 to 31 Dec, 2023
Specific Details
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan -TAMS
Intended results
To highlight concerns about the lack of clarity as to whether individual applications have been approved in Tranche 1 of the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) 3, this, in turn, is delaying commencement of any works ahead of this winter, and creating huge frustration among farmers, particularly those tight on animal housing or slurry storage .
To insist that immediate clarification is needed if farmers are to have any hope of completing and Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) - approved projects in 2023, and all necessary resources must be allocated to quickly resolve the issue, particularly where there is potential animal welfare or health and safety issues.
To question why the marking schemes are being sent out to the Monitoring Committee for 'approval' after they have been published on the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) website and the first tranche of the scheme has been closed. This should have been done at the beginning of the year before the scheme opened for applications where relevant stakeholders would have been given the opportunity to contribute to its design.
To question if the late circulation for approval means that, with none yet received from the Monitoring Committee, that the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine have not yet initiated their review of Tranche 1 applications. This is completely unsatisfactory if this is the case as it is creating huge issues and frustration among farmers.
To recommend that farmers are not disadvantaged in the current scheme for payments made from the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) 11. Marks should be assessed per applicant rather than per holding so as not to disadvantage a new entrant/farm successor undertaking investment to better align with their future plans/orientation of the farm business.
To challenge the logic in the Departments plan to disadvantage and penalise farmers most in need of on-farm investment. This is counter-intuitive, the objective of the scheme should be to support farmers making necessary on-farm investment.
To question the inconsistent application of the Nitrates variable - i.e. increased intensity deemed a positive for the Solar Investment Scheme; the Pig and Poultry Scheme, yet it is negative for most Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Schemes (TAMS). It is likely that the more intensive operations will be the ones most likely to be undertaking the investments.
To insist that farmers are put at the centre of negotiations given that it is Agricultural policy, farmers voices are being diluted by increasing number of non-farm stakeholders who seem to carry equal weight in these negotiations.
To highlight that the detail, depth and complexity of the documentation is overly complex which makes farmers' engagement more difficult and relies on third parties to execute. Greater simplification and recognition that it is the farm family that is being charged with administering each intervention of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), whether targeted at economic/environmental or social gain.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Shane Whelan IFA Senior Policy Executive, Tomas Bourke IFA Senior Policy Executive, Rachel Moloney IFA Policy Executive
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Informal communication (2-5)
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Charlie McConalogue
Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Paul Savage
Assistant Secretary (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Amii McKeever
Adviser to Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)