TAMS II Grant Aid still Open for Applications
With high beef and lamb prices this year some farmers may consider buying equipment or developing their farmyard in 2021. TAMS II is there to help. Farmers who qualify for TAMS II grant get 40% of the item cost excl. VAT (60% for young qualifying farmers). Vincent Ronayne Teagasc Advisor has details
With the high beef and lamb prices this year some farmers may be considering buying some equipment or developing their farmyard in 2021. Applying for TAMS II grant aid should be considered. Farmers who qualify for the TAMS II grant get 40% of the cost of the item excluding VAT with young qualifying farmers drawing down up to 60% of the cost.
This is not an option that can be lightly ignored. This costing of an item is based on a set of maximum costs set down by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). Most farmers are aware that grant aid is available for farmyard developments but are less clear about the smaller items which are also covered under the TAMS II scheme.
Categories of investment
This scheme covers a range of categories of investment including:
- animal housing and manure pits
- automatic slurry scrapers
- mass concrete tanks and precast concrete tanks including cover
- slurry store upgrades, silage pits, pens, enclosures and cattle races
The majority of the above require planning permission if they exceed the maximum areas that require planning. In all cases the Department of Agriculture will seek either Planning approval or an Exemption of Planning letter from the local authority.
Exempt from Planning
The items below are usually exempt from planning but each application is judged on its own merit.
- Fencing for sheep
- sheep and cattle handling equipment ( pens and enclosures)
- farm building upgrades and rain water harvesting
As well as making an application to the Department you must meet the scheme requirements on training, planning permission and tax clearance. The funding for the scheme is limited and all applications are subject to selection criteria, such as age and costings. It is comparable to tendering a price at which you will be willing to draw down the grant and the lower tenders are selected first in the case of an over demand in applications.
Eligible Equipment
There are a lot of farmers not aware that there are many other items which are grant aided and often overlooked. Some of these items include:
- slurry equipment (LESS)
- weighing scales
- meal bins
- mobile sheep handling equipment
- safety accessories for cattle handling
- EID Tag readers and many more items.
The full list of items can be found on the TAMS II Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme terms and conditions Annex B at the back of the booklet which can be found on the Department of Agriculture, Food and The Marine website. Every farmer should make themselves aware of the items on this list to avail of grant aid if they plan on purchasing any of them. The Department costings and marking sheets are also available online or by contacting your Teagasc Advisor or Agricultural Planner. Grant aid is not all about large investments, smaller items are also covered.
Plan for TAMS II Application closing dates
The current Tranche of TAMS II closes on July 23rd. There will be another tranche of TAMS after that with a closing date in November. While the scheme is currently open it is not known how long into the future it will remain open. If planning permission is required for your investment then, on average, this takes over three months for planning approval to be got. Planning must be got before an application will be accepted by the Department. So the advice would be to get moving now if you are seriously considering investing on your farm and using the TAMS grant aid that is now available.
Listen to the BeefEdge podcast episode below - What can I apply for under TAMS?
Read TAMS 11 can help improve your Animal Handling Facilities
Vincent Ronayne is a Teagasc Advisor in Co. Mayo. Teagasc Advisors are regular contributors of articles to Teagasc Daily. You can contact any of our Teagasc offices using this link Teagasc Advisory Regions here