Following a meeting with Department of Agriculture’s TAMS II specialists, we have broken down the application process in an effort to help people understand how to maximise their chances of making a successful application.

Making a TAMS II application isn’t something you should do on a whim – there are lots of different aspects to be worked out. Here are the main steps to consider in the application process:

Do you really need the shed/investment?: The Department says you should evaluate first and foremost whether there is need for the investment item on your holding. They say “an application shouldn’t be made based on a want rather than a need”.

What can you afford?: You should check that you can afford to make the investment. On the Department’s website, there are full costings net of VAT for all the different possible investment items (www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments/farmbuildings/). Pages eight and nine of this Focus supplement give an example of how to cost an investment and illustrate some of the nuances involved in the costings that farmers should be aware of.

Choose the right scheme: If you qualify as a young farmer, you should apply under the Young Farmers’ Scheme (YFS). If you are an organic producer with a licence, you should apply under the Organic Capital Investment Scheme. Under the organic scheme it’s likely there will be less applicants, so you will have a better chance of a successful application. There are also specific investments in each scheme that are not available under other schemes.

Conversions

The Department will not accept conversions. However, the Minister for Agriculture recently announced that in the case of existing loose houses, grant aid is available for installing slurry tanks and slats. A full list of the possible investment items are on pages six to 10 of this Focus supplement.

Read the terms and conditions: All of the terms and conditions for the schemes are on the Department’s website. According to the Department, it is not accepting any manual applications to the schemes – all applications have to be submitted online. The reason for this is that “for schemes carried out in the past, stacks of terms and conditions were printed and sent out to approved applicants and many were never read and let go to waste. Also we will be amending terms and conditions as the scheme goes on and the website version will always be the most up to date version”.

Does it require planning permission: Most farm buildings will require planning permission or a letter of exemption from your local county council. Items such as dairy parlour equipment do not require planning permission. Check the “List of eligible items” section in the terms and conditions of the scheme to see if the investment you are planning requires planning permission on the website. If it does require planning permission, the applicant has to have the permission obtained or exemption document before a TAMS II application can be made.

Detailed drawings: Some investments require detailed drawings showing internal dimensions. Planning permission drawings are not always a suitable replacement for detailed drawings because they sometimes only include external dimensions.

Farmyard sketch: Fixed investments not requiring planning permission or detailed drawings require a farmyard layout plan to a scale of 1:500. The main purpose of the farmyard sketch is to show the precise location of all the existing and proposed structures.

Have to be nitrates compliant: In other words, at the time of application there should be enough slurry storage for the animals on the farm for the previous winter housing period. For example, if you were applying today the Department would be looking at the 2014/’15 winter nitrate situation. If an application is sent in and it is found that a holding isn’t nitrates compliant, it could result in a query raised on your Basic Payment. For example, if a dairy farmer only has 14 weeks’ storage and he should have 16 weeks, he cannot apply for nutrient storage or animal housing in the TAMs schemes. He has options though – he can reduce his stocking rate during the winter or if he is doing something like a cubicle house he can build a tank to Department specification with an engineer’s signature at his own cost without grant aid and then he can apply for grant aid for the shed to be built over the tank. The tank is separate to the house so that they can be costed individually. The slats can be left as part of the house. The following year you can apply for grant aid to build a shed on top of this slurry tank.

Card A requirement: Where there is a Card A requirement, it means the concrete structure being built needs reinforcing. The farmer has to give at least five days’ notice ahead of pouring concrete on the final fix of steel reinforcement so the Department can inspect that reinforcing was carried out properly. Farmers will be given a form when they receive approval for an investment and it is up to them to send this back before concrete is poured. The Department says only a sample will be inspected and they will give prior notice of inspection, but the form has to be sent back nonetheless.

Education: Send in the education certificates if you are looking to apply for the Young Farmers’ Scheme. If you are in a company, you have to give a certificate of association/memorandum of association.

Online application: Applications must be submitted online through agfood.ie. Applicants who wish to apply online or through their agents must first be registered for online services (OLS) with the Department. Instructions for registration can be found online at www.agfood.ie, or you can contact agfood online services helpline in the Department’s Portlaoise office on Locall 1810-252118 or 0761-064424 or email agfood@agriculture.gov.ie. The paperwork to accompany the application can either be posted in or a pdf version can be attached to the online application.

Approvals: All applications are subject to an administrative check and must be analysed to make sure the correct paperwork accompanies the applications, the costings are correct, the detailed maps match the costings and any other relevant information is correct and available. The applications then go through a ranking system. If all the information is correct and there are no issues with the application, the Department will issue notice of approval. You have three years from the date of approval to complete the work and the Department says there will be no exemptions after that. They have noticed in the past that many people who apply for exemptions don’t go ahead with the investment and this is tying up money for other people trying to apply. Once the Department gives approval for an investment, they have committed monies on their budget, therefore they say it is important that farmers go ahead with the investment before the end of the three years.

Inspections: Only a sample of works will be inspected.

Claim once work is completed: When all the work is completed, applicants then make a payment claim online. To make a claim, firstly the dimensions of the work actually completed will have to be listed, the receipts of work carried out, tax clearance certificates, education certificates (if applying under the YFS), proof that all the investment items have a CE mark, evidence of ownership of land or leasehold, farm safety statement, etc. Cash receipts will not be accepted. Once all this paperwork is correct, the Department will issue grant aid payment for the approved investment item/s.

Read the rest of our TAMS II Focus Supplement here