Kieran McDermott from Clones, Co Monaghan, is dairy farming in partnership with his father Jim.

Kieran submitted a TAMS II application for milking and storage equipment in the second tranche just before it closed at the end of March.

“I applied for a 12-unit machine, 8,500l bulk tank, 24 cow feeders, a water heater, auto washer, plate cooler and meal bin which came to a net total of €80,000,” said Kieran.

Since he is a qualifying young trained farmer, Kieran and Jim were able to apply through the Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme. “We will be able to get a 60% grant on the first €80,000 we invest and will still be able to apply for grant aid up to another €80,000 where the grant aid will be 40%,” said Kieran.

Partnership

The McDermotts set up the partnership last year with the help of their Teagasc adviser and they didn’t find the process too difficult. The partnership was required to maximise the amount of grant aid they are eligible for in the TAMS II schemes.

A Teagasc adviser did the TAMS application, which cost €165. A farmyard sketch was needed, their partnership number, and a copy of Kieran’s education qualifications as well as proposed costings for the investments.

Less time milking

The McDermotts will be milking 65 cows this year in their current six-unit basic parlour that was fitted in 1989. They plan on milking up to 80 cows next year, which would take a lot of time in the old parlour.

“The old parlour was fine for 50 cows or so, but with the bigger numbers coming on, means the more time spent milking and the less time we will have for other jobs – that’s why we really needed a bigger parlour,” said Kieran. They spent a lot of time thinking about what they would use TAMS for and in the end they decided to go with the milking equipment and bulk tank fitted in the existing parlour and dairy because this is what they really needed.

Planning

The McDermotts hope they will get approval to start work by June. They have an agreement with the company which is supplying the new equipment that a temporary 10-unit one-sided parlour would be supplied during installation, to be used in another shed when their own parlour will be out of action.

In TAMS, the farmer has to pay for the entire cost of the investment and have work complete first before they can make an application for the grant monies. “We plan on getting a loan to cover this cost and will do cashflow plans to make sure we don’t get into trouble down the line. With the way milk prices are now, you definitely wouldn’t do the work out of cashflow alone,” Kieran said.

“It’s very important that the Department don’t delay making payments to farmers. It always seems like there is one set of rules for them and another for us when it comes to schemes and deadlines which isn’t fair especially in a low milk price year.”

To read the full Buildings and TAMS II Focus supplement, click here.