Both the re-roofing grant under TAMS and the new exemptions that have come in to place have met with many queries from farmers interested in developing their farms. Like any scheme or exemption, it’s not a golden ticket or the green light to do what farmers wish and expect money from it; certain hoops have to be jumped through. Over the Christmas period I received many enquiries from farmers relating to both, with some of the main ones answered below, along with a query on the TAMS marking scheme.
What size of a shed can I build with the planning exemption?
The area of a building that can be created for animal housing with the exemption stands at a maximum of 300m2.
This is roughly the equivalent of a five-bay single slatted tank with a creep area and an overhang over the feed area.
However, this figure of 300m2 is dependent on what other handling yard/sheds are within 100m of the new proposed shed.
The total area permissible is 450m2 of buildings when the new shed is erected.
For example, if an existing shed of 200m2 is already in situ, then the new shed can only be a maximum of 250m2.
What size of a slatted tank can I build with the planning exemption?
This is even less restrictive than the shed size, with a massive 1,000m2 of storage space permitted to be built under the new rules. In real terms, 1,000m2 is approximately the equivalent of a double seven-bay long tank overlayed with a 16ft 6in slat and with a depth of 2.7m.
At the current levels of 0.33m2/cow/week for dairy herds, a tank of the above size is sufficient for 154 cows across an 18-week winter housing period (with 200mm of freeboard accounted for).
If we ramp this up to the new level of 0.4m2/cow/week which will come in to effect in 2028, then we are down to 127 cows.
What will catch out more farmers is the fact that the permissible development is based off a total on-farm capacity of no greater than 1,500m2, eg if the farmer already has 900m2 of slurry storage on farm, then they are restricted to a maximum of 600m2 of new storage created by the exemption.
Above this level, farmers would need to seek full planning permission. As always, if applying under TAMS, sufficient storage must be in place in order to qualify.
What I can envisage a lot of farmers using this exemption for is to create slurry storage with the intention of erecting a shed over the tank again; it will be hard for any county council to refuse permission for this in the future.
For TAMS, the exemption for slurry storage and/or a livestock building must accompany the application. There will be some drawings required of the site layout etc, so it is by no means a box ticking exercise.
What reference costs are available for the re-roofing grant? Can I just replace cladding and timbers?
The roofing reference costs are listed below, with each based off a m2 unit
All roof cladding and purlins: €40/m2.All roof cladding, purlins and rafters: €60/m2.All cladding, purlins, rafters, stanchions and electrical wiring: €98.18/m2.All side/gable cladding: €40/m2.Taking an example of a 63ftx30ft shed in which the farmer wishes to replace the cladding and timbers (purlins).
The above shed measures 175.5m2 in area and at a reference cost of €40/m2 carries an overall reference cost of €7,000, of which 60% (€4,200) is reclaimable.
While this is a nice amount to be able to reclaim, the fact that a chartered engineer''s report is required as the stanchions and rafters are being retained could be off-putting, as this costing not permissible for grant aid.
If the farmer was to remove the older stanchions and trusses and erect all new steel and cladding, then the above shed would net a reference cost of €17,230.59.
However, either full planning permission or a declaration of exemption needs be obtained in every case, even for just replacing cladding.
The planning permission or declaration of exemption must be specifically for the re-roofing of the structure.
The original planning permission or declaration of exemption that was in place at the time of initial construction of the building is not sufficient.
If I have a mixed farm with beef and tillage, will I gain extra marks for straw chopping/protein aid scheme if I wanted to build a slatted shed for cattle?
The simple answer is no. When an applicant applies for an item under one of the various sub schemes within TAMS, then the marking scheme specific to that sub scheme is used.
Only tillage-specific items in the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme (TCIS) can garner extra marks for straw-chopping or having land in the protein aid scheme.
Both the re-roofing grant under TAMS and the new exemptions that have come in to place have met with many queries from farmers interested in developing their farms. Like any scheme or exemption, it’s not a golden ticket or the green light to do what farmers wish and expect money from it; certain hoops have to be jumped through. Over the Christmas period I received many enquiries from farmers relating to both, with some of the main ones answered below, along with a query on the TAMS marking scheme.
What size of a shed can I build with the planning exemption?
The area of a building that can be created for animal housing with the exemption stands at a maximum of 300m2.
This is roughly the equivalent of a five-bay single slatted tank with a creep area and an overhang over the feed area.
However, this figure of 300m2 is dependent on what other handling yard/sheds are within 100m of the new proposed shed.
The total area permissible is 450m2 of buildings when the new shed is erected.
For example, if an existing shed of 200m2 is already in situ, then the new shed can only be a maximum of 250m2.
What size of a slatted tank can I build with the planning exemption?
This is even less restrictive than the shed size, with a massive 1,000m2 of storage space permitted to be built under the new rules. In real terms, 1,000m2 is approximately the equivalent of a double seven-bay long tank overlayed with a 16ft 6in slat and with a depth of 2.7m.
At the current levels of 0.33m2/cow/week for dairy herds, a tank of the above size is sufficient for 154 cows across an 18-week winter housing period (with 200mm of freeboard accounted for).
If we ramp this up to the new level of 0.4m2/cow/week which will come in to effect in 2028, then we are down to 127 cows.
What will catch out more farmers is the fact that the permissible development is based off a total on-farm capacity of no greater than 1,500m2, eg if the farmer already has 900m2 of slurry storage on farm, then they are restricted to a maximum of 600m2 of new storage created by the exemption.
Above this level, farmers would need to seek full planning permission. As always, if applying under TAMS, sufficient storage must be in place in order to qualify.
What I can envisage a lot of farmers using this exemption for is to create slurry storage with the intention of erecting a shed over the tank again; it will be hard for any county council to refuse permission for this in the future.
For TAMS, the exemption for slurry storage and/or a livestock building must accompany the application. There will be some drawings required of the site layout etc, so it is by no means a box ticking exercise.
What reference costs are available for the re-roofing grant? Can I just replace cladding and timbers?
The roofing reference costs are listed below, with each based off a m2 unit
All roof cladding and purlins: €40/m2.All roof cladding, purlins and rafters: €60/m2.All cladding, purlins, rafters, stanchions and electrical wiring: €98.18/m2.All side/gable cladding: €40/m2.Taking an example of a 63ftx30ft shed in which the farmer wishes to replace the cladding and timbers (purlins).
The above shed measures 175.5m2 in area and at a reference cost of €40/m2 carries an overall reference cost of €7,000, of which 60% (€4,200) is reclaimable.
While this is a nice amount to be able to reclaim, the fact that a chartered engineer''s report is required as the stanchions and rafters are being retained could be off-putting, as this costing not permissible for grant aid.
If the farmer was to remove the older stanchions and trusses and erect all new steel and cladding, then the above shed would net a reference cost of €17,230.59.
However, either full planning permission or a declaration of exemption needs be obtained in every case, even for just replacing cladding.
The planning permission or declaration of exemption must be specifically for the re-roofing of the structure.
The original planning permission or declaration of exemption that was in place at the time of initial construction of the building is not sufficient.
If I have a mixed farm with beef and tillage, will I gain extra marks for straw chopping/protein aid scheme if I wanted to build a slatted shed for cattle?
The simple answer is no. When an applicant applies for an item under one of the various sub schemes within TAMS, then the marking scheme specific to that sub scheme is used.
Only tillage-specific items in the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme (TCIS) can garner extra marks for straw-chopping or having land in the protein aid scheme.
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