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Sheep fencing was added to the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme II (TAMS II) under the Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage Scheme and the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme at the start of June.
The previous sheep fencing and mobile handling equipment scheme, which there was strong interest in, was run as a separate component to TAMS I and, as such, relevant revisions were made to Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) documentation for TAMS II to include fencing.
There are many components that have changed which are outlined below. In the previous scheme, an applicant was required to have a minimum of 50 ewes to be eligible for inclusion.
This requirement has been done away with and the main entry criteria is now a farmer having a minimum of 5ha owned or leased land declared on their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application, the same for any TAMS scheme application.
The ceiling for grant aid has also significantly increased from an investment of €25,000 to €80,000 (€160,000 for a farm partnership) with a minimum investment required of €2,000 excluding VAT.
Grant aid remains payable at 40%, or 60% for eligible young trained farmers, with the payment based on the lower of national reference costs, proposed costs submitted by the applicant or receipted costs.
Costs and the level of grant aid payable are calculated excluding VAT, which can be recovered by unregistered farmers.
Change in costs
The DAFM reference cost (ie the maximum cost allowable for grant aid) for sheep fencing has also changed. There is now a separate reference cost for fencing on lowland and hill areas.
The rate for lowland fencing has been reduced from €5.94 per metre (as was the rate in TAMS I) to €5.34 per linear metre.
In the previous scheme, where sheep wire was used, costs covered two strands of electric or barbed wire or a combination of both. In this scheme, grant aid covers one strand of electric or barbed wire on top of the sheep wire, with five strands of electric wire no longer an option.
Applicants can still choose to erect two strands, but they will have to erect the second at their own cost and also adhere to specifications laid out in the DAFM listing under S148 Farm Fencing July 2016 (which can be found at www.agriculture.gov.ie). There is a higher reference cost of €8.01 per linear metre for fencing erected in hill areas, which are those designated under the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) as mountain-type land.
Fencing requirements remain the same as listed above and the DAFM explains that the higher costs for hill land are largely to cover accessibility difficulties in hill areas.
Gateways are also eligible for grant aid, but must be erected as part of a new fence. A new gateway has a reference cost of €299 per gateway. The specification is also listed in S148 farm fencing July 2016.
Some notable features are that gate posts must be independent of the wire fence, meaning a post will be required to fasten the fence and a separate post to hang and secure the gate in a closed position. Gateways must be a minimum of 3.6m (12ft) and open inwards where servicing passage on to a public road.
Online application
Hard copy applications are also no longer allowable in TAMS II, with all requests for grant aid made through an applicant’s Agfood online account. Farmers can also make an application directly to DAFM without employing an adviser or agricultural professional to act on their behalf.
However, they can employ an adviser/agent if they wish to do so, with agents able to access the online facility similar to submitting client BPS applications.
As part of the application, a map with a scale of no greater than 1:5000 must be submitted to show where fencing will be erected, the type of fencing (if more than one type is applied for) and length of the fence and the position of any gateways.
Maps can be uploaded with the application or sent via post to TAMS II Schemes, On Farm Investments, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Johnstown Castle Estate, Co Wexford, within 10 days of the application being submitted.
Sheep fencing may require planning permission or a letter of exemption if the proposed sheep fencing is taking place in a special area of conservation, special protection area, natural heritage area or upland or seaside area that has not been previously fenced.
This requirement also exists for the replacement of an old fence with a newly erected fence.
Tranche system
TAMS II is operated in a tranche system, whereby the scheme is opened and closed in continual three-month periods. The current tranche, which opened on 25 June, will close on 30 September. The next tranche will open on 1 October until 17 January 2017. This system will operate until the scheme closes in 2020.
Once applications are received, they are assessed and marked on a number of selection criteria. These include age of the applicant (priority given to young applicants), size of the holding, proposed costs, whether the farm is located in an ANC and, finally, if it has previously received funding under the Dairy Equipment Scheme, Sheep Fencing and Mobile Handling Equipment Scheme or Farm Safety Scheme.
Fencing materials
The farm fencing specifications detailed earlier in the article give a precise rundown of the materials required. Posts used can be timber, concrete, plastic, or dipped galvanised posts, but must be approved by DAFM.
Timber posts used must possess NSAI certification. Companies possessing this accreditation are listed in the DAFM specifications under the heading ‘Accepted fencing posts May 2016’ where a listing of companies approved to manufacture concrete and alternate post types are listed. These posts can be traded by agri-merchants, but make sure before you buy that they have the necessary certification. Intermediate posts, which must be 1.83m long, can be certified by the bundle while strainer or gate posts must possess individual certification for timber posts. Sheep wire (minimum 800mm high with eight horizontal openings) and barbed or electric/plain wire used must also comply with specifications listed under sheep fencing.
Watch how to erect TAMS II grant-approved sheep fencing in our vidoe below and read more here.
Safety training and tax clearance
The terms and conditions of the scheme state that it is mandatory that all applicants will have completed a farm safety course within the previous five years or have completed the FETAC Level 6 advanced certificate in agriculture (Green Cert) or other relevant qualification prior to submitting a claim for payment. It is also worth noting that applicants must be tax compliant, along with any contractors carrying out works.
Submitting an application
Screen 1
Once logged on to your agfood account, the TAMS options are listed at the bottom of the services listing on the homepage. The example outlined here is for farmers applying for sheep fencing under TAMS II – Animal Welfare, Safety and Nutrient Storage. A similar portal awaits farmers applying under the Young Farmer Investment Scheme heading, but here details of education qualifications must be given. The next portal that appears to farmers is the entry screen where applicants can access a link to start a new application or explore specifications and terms and conditions. It also gives a reminder of the closing date for the current tranche. Once a new application is selected, the screen shown above will appear. This is where the application will be completed and applicants must navigate between the appropriate tabs. Most sheep farmers will not have to enter the tab for production units – this is targeted to intensive enterprises such as pigs or poultry. The proposed investments tab is where details are entered on proposed sheep fencing by clicking the button “Add Sub Inv” and then selecting from the dropdown options. There are three options – sheep mesh with one strand of wire on lowland, sheep mesh with one strand of wire on hill land, and gateways. Farmers must enter the length of the fence and their proposed costing. In this case, it is 800m at the national reference cost of €5.34 per linear metre.
Screen 2
Maps showing where sheep fencing is proposed to be erected, the type of fencing (lowland or hill) and position of gateways must be uploaded with the application or sent by post to Johnstown Castle within a period of 10 days of submitting the application. As can be seen, documentation referring to safety training courses or tax clearance certificates can be also uploaded at this stage. The maximum size of documents that can be uploaded is three megabytes.
Screen 3
A benefit of submitting applications online is that the system automatically carries out a number of preliminary checks. For example, the system has in this case picked up that a field plan needs to be uploaded before the application can progress any further. Documentation relating to tax clearance or safety courses can also be submitted if on hand with the application.
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