Before applying to the scheme, you will have to obtain a price quote from an equipment supplier. This will be straightforward for off-the-shelf items, such as a cattle weigh scales or sheep handling equipment. However, it will be more complicated for work such as fitting an external agitation point to an underground tank or rewiring a shed, and will take longer. The application form is relatively straightforward and with care farmers will be able to complete it for themselves. However, scaled drawings are required for some investment items and most farmers will turn to an adviser or a technician for those.

Front page

The application form has a front cover and then four pages to fill out.

Second page

The first page to be filled out is page two. It identifies the farmer, requiring name, address, date of birth, herd and PPS numbers, phone numbers and email address, etc. The applicant indicates if he/she is applying as an individual farmer, making a joint application, or is in a partnership or a company. Some of this information will be used for the ranking system, if triggered, eg date of birth, address, etc.

Third page

Page three also requires general information about the applicant, including type of enterprise. It asks if the applicant has declared a minimum of 5ha for Single Farm Payment/Area Aid/IACS and, if so, in which year. This is a requirement for eligibility. Alternatively, producers with an intensive enterprise should detail their operation to show they meet the minimum activity level.

Fourth page

The safety items for which you are seeking grant aid are listed on page four. All 28 items are pre-listed in the first column. In the second column, you specify the quantity/number of items you are seeking grant aid for. For example, you might specify 40m of safety rail on a silo wall, 200m2 of shed to be rewired, or eight yard lights. The relevant units are already shown in this column, you just enter a number. In the third column, you enter your proposed cost for each safety item. This should exclude VAT, but include any own labour/machinery, where relevant. In the example shown here (see opposite page), the farmer is applying for grant aid to:

  • Replace damaged slats. The area in question is 4.5m x 10m or 45m2 (ie 14ft 6in slats and a tank length of 32ft/two bays). The farmer enters the quantity as 45m2.
  • Install one new safety cover on an external agitation point/manhole.
  • Rewire a shed with 110m2 of internal floor area.
  • Install two yard lights, four safety cages under roof’s clear-sheets and 7.5m of calving gates.
  • To specify your proposed cost, you must refer to the explanatory notes that accompany the scheme’s reference costings. Remember, the Department will pay you 40% grant aid on the lowest of the following three amounts:

    (1) Its own reference costings.

    (2) The total of your invoices, ie the amount you actually paid.

    (3) The proposed cost you enter on the application form.

    Therefore, there’s no point entering a proposed cost which is higher than the Department’s reference costings. Proposing a cost lower than the reference costings will earn some priority ranking points if the scheme is oversubscribed (see page 6), but otherwise could needlessly lower the grant amount you receive.

    Fifth page

    Page five is for signing and declaring that you read the conditions and are complying with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, etc.

    Fencing open slurry stores

    FRS Fencing can provide fencing around external slurry and effluent stores that is of the highest quality and compliant with all specifications of the Farm Safety Scheme. The firm will assess the most appropriate fencing required for an external store. The two main types of fencing most appropriate to protect an open store are chain link fencing or welded mesh panel systems.

    A fence with a minimum height of 1.8m (6 ft) is recommended, but the fence chosen must be suitable for the site location and ultimately provide the highest safety standard.