Batch AI crushes are now included in the Traditional Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) II. The batch crush allows farmers to artificially inseminate (AI) a group of cows quickly and safely. In the batch crush system, cows are controlled in a similar fashion to a herringbone parlour where a group of cows stand in a row side by side. Batch crushes have become more popular on expanding dairy farms where large numbers of cows have to be inseminated daily during breeding. Traditionally cows were artificially inseminated in an ordinary cattle crush. Some farmers have found this system to be tedious because each cow has to be individually restrained.

Reference costs

The Department's reference cost for batch AI crushes is €191/linear metre excluding VAT. The length is measured from the entrance gate to exit gate in a straight line along the breast rail. Grant aid is based on either the lowest of the Department's reference cost, the proposed cost by an applicant at application stage or receipts per finished investment item. The minimum approval per application under all schemes is €2,000. General applicants are entitled to grant aid of 40% towards the cost of a finished and approved investment. Qualifying young farmers are entitled to grant aid of 60% towards the cost.

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Specifications

In TAMS II, all building work has to meet the Department of Agriculture’s minimum specifications. The Department has listed these specifications on the TAMS section of their website. The specifications for batch AI crushes can be found under S137. The main specifications include:

  • Batch crushes may be either fixed width or adjustable width.
  • They are designed for dairy cows only.
  • The crush must be designed so that cows stand at an angle across the crush, in a similar manner to a cow stand in a herringbone milking parlour.
  • The unit must consist of a rump rail, breast rail with neck rail and front and rear gates.
  • The width of the crush depends upon the size of cows.
  • The rump rail must be at least 1.28m high and consist of at least three fixed rails and one drop rail (a total of four rails).
  • The breast rail must consist of at least two rails, in a lattice form, of minimum 60mm OD tubing with a 3.0mm wall for adjustable width batch AI crushes and of at least two rails of minimum 48.0mm OD tubing with 3.0mm thick wall for fixed width batch AI crushes.
  • The neck rail must consist of at least 90mm OD tubing and must be supported such that the cows head cannot be caught against the vertical elements.

    • Farmers planning on building a batch crush through TAMS II should become familiar with all the specifications listed under S137. If the crush is not designed to the Department's specs you may not receive full grant aid for the project.

    Batch crushes make it easier and quicker to carry out artifical insemination on a group of in-heat dairy cows during the breeding season.

    Applications

    TAMS II is set up in a series of three month long tranches. Applications for the scheme are taken while a tranche is open and approvals to make the investment are usually issued a couple of months after the tranche closes.

    The closing date for the current TAMS II tranche (11) applications has been set as 7 September 2018.

    The Department has proposed that tranche 12 will open on 8 September 2018 and close on 7 December 2018.

    Tranche 13 will open for applications subsequently on 8 December and close on 5 April 2019.

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