Sinn Féin spokesperson on Agriculture, Claire Kerrane TD, has described Minister McConalogue’s “out of the blue” statement regarding the closure of applications for Tranche 2 of TAMS 3 as an “unacceptable way to treat farmers and farm advisors”.

Minister McConalogue has today announced that he will be closing applications for Tranche 2 of TAMS 3 this Friday (15th December), months ahead of the communicated deadline of February 2024.

Speaking today, Teachta Kerrane said:

“It is astonishing that the Minister is closing applications for Tranche 2 of TAMS 3 with such short notice. Out of the blue, he has announced that the deadline will now be in two days, not two months as previously communicated.

“Farm advisors will now be scrambling to finalise applications for this round of TAMS, when they thought they had until February to submit them.

“Many will have rightly have been organising their time with regard to already communicated deadlines, and focusing on getting applications ready for imminent deadlines.

“This is an unacceptable way to treat farm advisors, and it’s not the first time the Minister has put them under pressure this year.

“The Minister knows well that farmers and farm advisors need certainty and to be able to work to reliable deadlines for crucial farm payments.

“This announcement comes following a long list of missed payment dates, confusing communications and little thought for farmers and advisors from the Minister and his Department.

“The Minister should revert to the deadlines already communicated to farmers and farm advisors for Tranche 2 of TAMS 3.”