Under TAMS there are a raft of different safety elements that farmers can claim grant aid on. There is something on the list that would be applicable to nearly every farm in the country. Here we look at some of the safety elements that would be particularly relevant to tillage farmers to make their yards a safer place.

New doors

Under TAMS there are a raft of different safety elements that farmers can claim grant aid on. One such investment is the replacement of a hinged door or sheeted gate with a new sliding door or roller door. Hinged doors provide a major safety hazard, especially in times of high winds as they can be difficult to control and lead to serious injuries to farmers. One farmer replaced hinged doors with roller doors for their machinery shed. The doors can be operated electronically or manually. There are individual remotes for each door. The reference cost for the replacement of the doors is €89.20/m2. The total cost of the replacement doors for this project came to approximately €9,000 including VAT. Once VAT is claimed back and the 40% grant aid is received on the remaining cost of the project the doors will cost slightly over €1,150 each, according to the farmer.

The Safe Shaft System uses a hydraulically powered motor to replace the PTO shaft making it much safer for the farmer when working in close proximity with the pump.

The Safe Shaft System uses a hydraulically powered motor to replace the PTO shaft making it much safer for the farmer when working in close proximity with the pump.

Hydraulic motor

A new safety item recently added to TAMS is a hydraulic motor to replace a PTO shaft which would be permanently fixed to the machine. The item is costed at €1,520 per unit excluding VAT and may be fitted to either a new machine or retrofitted to an existing machine. They must be used to replace the PTO drive for low power requirement machines. The hydraulic motor must be driven by the hydraulics of the tractor. Outside of the tractor there must be a shut-off system located beside the hydraulic motor. A hydraulic motor could be used to drive fertiliser and slurry spreaders, and smaller sprayers, among other items.

Wheel changing crate

A popular option through the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme (TCIS) so far has been a wheel changing crate, with 40 applications made. Given the hazards associated with changing tractor tyres without adequate wheel-changing equipment, this makes for positive news. The reference cost of €1,220/unit excluding VAT is for the standard wheel changing crate. Additionally a manual wheel pumping crate is also available for grant aid and has a reference cost of €700/unit, while a fully automatic wheel pumping crate has a reference cost of €8,970/unit, both excluding VAT.

Safety cages can be retrofitted to existing clear roof-lights on sheds.

Safety cages can be retrofitted to existing clear roof-lights on sheds.

Safety cages

For all new sheds constructed through TAMS a requirement of the scheme is to have safety cages in place under the clear roof lights. However, the option also exists to retrofit existing roof lights with safety cages. They will be placed underneath the clear sheeting on top of the supporting purloins. In this way, the purloins will then directly support any weight that is placed on the grid. There are different costings depending on the size of the roof light when it comes to retrofitting. The rate is for the safety cage only and does not cover the cost of replacing the actual clear light. The double roof-light rate is to be used where the clear light spans across three purloins only and the triple roof-light rate is to be used where the clear light spans between four or more purloins.

Old sheds can also be rewired and will be eligible fore grant aid.

Old sheds can also be rewired and will be eligible fore grant aid.

Rewiring

Another safety item which may appeal to farmers is to rewire an existing shed. It is important to remember that the environment on a farm is a much harsher environment than a domestic situation and therefore requires a higher standard of electrical installation. The reference cost of grant aid is €6.70/m2 of the internal area of the building which is to be rewired.

A farmer can also receive grant aid for farmyard lights that are a minimum 200W equivalent, either metal halide or LED. The grant is €237.50/light.

Safe Family Farms.