Farm and pub: “I keep a herd of 55 suckler cows, many of which are pedigree Limousin cows. They are mostly spring calving but some calve in the autumn too. I also run a bar and lounge locally, which keeps me busy in the evenings.”
Cow attack: “In 2014, I was attacked by a freshly calved cow while out herding one evening. I was on the phone and checking if there was water in a trough when I noticed a freshly born calf. I went over to the calf and the bunch of cows in the field gathered around me. Next thing, the cow that had calved ran towards me and pucked me in the chest, and was down on her knees trying to hurt me. I tried to grab her nose but it was pointless as she was too vicious. I’m not really sure what happened next but I managed to get away and into the jeep. The attack resulted in a cracked rib and bad bruising. I couldn’t work for a number of months afterwards. It really shook me up.”
Changes: “After the attack, I realised something had to change. My attitude to livestock would have to change for one. You just can’t take cows for granted, so now I never use my phone when in the field around cattle. I am also far more careful now around freshly calved cows. I don’t go near calves in the field and wait to sort them out once safely inside where the cow can be separated. I also built a new slatted shed with calving facilities after the attack. It was built through TAMS. The paperwork was far more complex than I expected but I got through it. The new shed has made a big difference for handling stock now. I can easily manage a cow calving on my own with the help of calving gates. If I want to handle the calf I can lock the cow in the head bail by coaxing her into it with some meal. There is no reason now why I should be in a situation where I could get hurt. At night, after the pub closes, I can check the cows in my shoes – there are great lights inside. It has made managing a number of cows much easier and safer.”
Advice: “My main advice for suckler farmers is not to trust any cow around calving. Every cow can be dangerous no matter how long she is in the herd, especially following calving. Treat all cattle the same and you are less likely to get a bad surprise one day. The problem is, most of us suckler farmers are part-time now, which means we are far busier. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings that evening because I was on the phone. Rushing around can lead to accidents so we need to be aware of this. Better facilities should help too.”
How to make your suckler farm safer with TAMS II
Peter Varley explains how TAMS II can be used to make farm safety investments more affordable
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to making investments on the farm to improve farm safety is cost. We say to ourselves I’d rather buy more cattle than build a better handling unit or I could buy more fertiliser rather than buy that calving gate. It is hard to argue with these points when incomes, especially on suckler farms, are so tight.
On the other hand, if facilities are dangerously lacking and an accident happens as a result, investments for farm safety are relatively cheap.
Farmers should be aware that there are a lot of useful safety investment items covered under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) II. The scheme can help to bring down the overall cost of making such an investment.
What’s covered?
There are hundreds of items covered from large investments such as slatted sheds to simple calving gates.
We have listed some investments below that are particularly useful in terms of farm safety. Just be aware if you are focusing on smaller investments that the combined cost of these items must be more than €2,000 excluding VAT.
Therefore, you might have to apply for a few items in one application to meet the minimum spend. Useful safety items for suckler farms include:
Replacement of a sheeted hinged door with a new sliding door.Safety rails on silo walls.Retrofitting roof lights with safety cages.Rewiring existing farm buildings.Installing yard lights.Cattle and sheep handling units, mobile and fixed.Calving gates for existing and new sheds.Cattle head scoop.Leg hoist/lifter.Slatted shed and bespoke calving area. How to apply
Farmers can apply for grant aid themselves on the Department of Agriculture website or an agriculture adviser can perform the application on your behalf.
The application must be made and approved by the Department before an investment can be made.
All investments must then be paid for and all quality certificates retained before a payment application can be made with the Department.
Grant aid
If you qualify as a young trained farmer, you should apply under the Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme where the grant rate is 60%.
To qualify, you must be between 18 and 40 on the date of setup, have been set up for the first time within five years of application and complete education within three years of approval (otherwise, the grant aid is 40%).
For example, if the total cost of an investment was €5,000 excluding VAT a qualifying young trained farmer would be entitled to €3,000 (€5,000 at 60%) of grant aid. A general applicant would be entitled to €2,000 (€5,000 at 40%).
Farm and pub: “I keep a herd of 55 suckler cows, many of which are pedigree Limousin cows. They are mostly spring calving but some calve in the autumn too. I also run a bar and lounge locally, which keeps me busy in the evenings.”
Cow attack: “In 2014, I was attacked by a freshly calved cow while out herding one evening. I was on the phone and checking if there was water in a trough when I noticed a freshly born calf. I went over to the calf and the bunch of cows in the field gathered around me. Next thing, the cow that had calved ran towards me and pucked me in the chest, and was down on her knees trying to hurt me. I tried to grab her nose but it was pointless as she was too vicious. I’m not really sure what happened next but I managed to get away and into the jeep. The attack resulted in a cracked rib and bad bruising. I couldn’t work for a number of months afterwards. It really shook me up.”
Changes: “After the attack, I realised something had to change. My attitude to livestock would have to change for one. You just can’t take cows for granted, so now I never use my phone when in the field around cattle. I am also far more careful now around freshly calved cows. I don’t go near calves in the field and wait to sort them out once safely inside where the cow can be separated. I also built a new slatted shed with calving facilities after the attack. It was built through TAMS. The paperwork was far more complex than I expected but I got through it. The new shed has made a big difference for handling stock now. I can easily manage a cow calving on my own with the help of calving gates. If I want to handle the calf I can lock the cow in the head bail by coaxing her into it with some meal. There is no reason now why I should be in a situation where I could get hurt. At night, after the pub closes, I can check the cows in my shoes – there are great lights inside. It has made managing a number of cows much easier and safer.”
Advice: “My main advice for suckler farmers is not to trust any cow around calving. Every cow can be dangerous no matter how long she is in the herd, especially following calving. Treat all cattle the same and you are less likely to get a bad surprise one day. The problem is, most of us suckler farmers are part-time now, which means we are far busier. I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings that evening because I was on the phone. Rushing around can lead to accidents so we need to be aware of this. Better facilities should help too.”
How to make your suckler farm safer with TAMS II
Peter Varley explains how TAMS II can be used to make farm safety investments more affordable
One of the biggest stumbling blocks to making investments on the farm to improve farm safety is cost. We say to ourselves I’d rather buy more cattle than build a better handling unit or I could buy more fertiliser rather than buy that calving gate. It is hard to argue with these points when incomes, especially on suckler farms, are so tight.
On the other hand, if facilities are dangerously lacking and an accident happens as a result, investments for farm safety are relatively cheap.
Farmers should be aware that there are a lot of useful safety investment items covered under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) II. The scheme can help to bring down the overall cost of making such an investment.
What’s covered?
There are hundreds of items covered from large investments such as slatted sheds to simple calving gates.
We have listed some investments below that are particularly useful in terms of farm safety. Just be aware if you are focusing on smaller investments that the combined cost of these items must be more than €2,000 excluding VAT.
Therefore, you might have to apply for a few items in one application to meet the minimum spend. Useful safety items for suckler farms include:
Replacement of a sheeted hinged door with a new sliding door.Safety rails on silo walls.Retrofitting roof lights with safety cages.Rewiring existing farm buildings.Installing yard lights.Cattle and sheep handling units, mobile and fixed.Calving gates for existing and new sheds.Cattle head scoop.Leg hoist/lifter.Slatted shed and bespoke calving area. How to apply
Farmers can apply for grant aid themselves on the Department of Agriculture website or an agriculture adviser can perform the application on your behalf.
The application must be made and approved by the Department before an investment can be made.
All investments must then be paid for and all quality certificates retained before a payment application can be made with the Department.
Grant aid
If you qualify as a young trained farmer, you should apply under the Young Farmers Capital Investment Scheme where the grant rate is 60%.
To qualify, you must be between 18 and 40 on the date of setup, have been set up for the first time within five years of application and complete education within three years of approval (otherwise, the grant aid is 40%).
For example, if the total cost of an investment was €5,000 excluding VAT a qualifying young trained farmer would be entitled to €3,000 (€5,000 at 60%) of grant aid. A general applicant would be entitled to €2,000 (€5,000 at 40%).
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