RED tape must be kept to a minimum in a new scheme to improve farm businesses across Northern Ireland, farmers have said.
The first tranche of money from a £40 million pot available under the Farm Business Improvement Scheme (FBIS) is available from this week.
Agriculture minister Michelle McIlveen said the programme "represents a significant investment to support the industry’s ambitions".
But Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) deputy president Ivor Ferguson said although he was happy the scheme had opened, "we were frustrated at the slow progress until now".
The scheme is broken into two tiers, one for smaller scale projects costing from £5,000 to £30,000 and another that offers grants of up to £250,000.
Mr Ferguson said farmer were concerned "about the lack of consultation around DAERA’s plans for the larger projects in Tier 2".
"We are keen that both tiers should be implemented in ways that minimise red tape, although we do recognise that with the level of public funding available for tier two more paperwork will be required,” he said.
The union said the programme would help fund projects, farmers have struggled to get off the ground.
“We are pleased that our lobbying has ensured that fencing is included in the programme," Mr Ferguson added.
"This is something our members repeatedly told us they needed and we raised this with the department. However, we have some concerns how it will be rolled out.
"The UFU will be monitoring the implementation of the FBIS capital scheme and will continue to press for it to be practical and workable so that farmers can benefit from it,” said Mr Ferguson.
Announcing the start of the scheme, Ms McIlveen said it had a particular emphasis on improving farm safety and investing in the farmers of tomorrow.
“Clearly, we have many high quality farm businesses run by very able people within Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry," she said.
“Since taking up the office of minister, I have met with a broad cross section of people from the agri-food industry. I have listened to their views, hopes and concerns for the future.
“I have been clear from the outset that delivering a sustainable and competitive agriculture sector is paramount for me as DAERA minister and for the NI executive as a whole."
Meanwhile, she said 90 per cent of farmers had received basic subsidies in advance.
“I understand the value of direct payments to farms and the stability this income can provide, especially at times of extreme market volatility. That is why, from the moment I was appointed, I was determined to introduce advance payments to assist with farmers’ immediate cash-flow difficulties," she added.
