Why you need careful planning and expert advice for a TAMS II application
The Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS II) forms part of the Rural Development Programme 2014 to 2020, and is jointly funded by the European Union and the national exchequer. It is so important that we are giving it, unashamedly, a major plug.
TAMS II was launched in May 2015, and will close on December 31, 2020.
The financial allocation to the scheme is €398m.
The schemes involved in TAMS II and the maximum flnancial allocations for each are the Animal Welfare Safety and Nutrient Storage (AWNS), €170m; Dairy Equipment Scheme (DES), €50m; Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS), €4m; Organic Capital Investment Scheme (OCIS), €8m; Pig and Poultry Investment Scheme (PPIS), €20m; Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (YFCIS), €120m;and the Tillage Capital Investment Scheme (TCIS), €26m.
About €25m has been paid to 1,790 applicants, including €11,142,592 to 433 in the YFCIS; €8,410,535 to 655 in the DES; €2,555,948 to 369 in the AWNSS; and €2,266,610 to 204 in the LESS.
The scheme is open to all farmers with a minimum of 5ha declared on the Basic Payment Scheme or, in the case of intensive enterprises, farm ers that generate a minimum of 20 production units from farming.
The maximum investment ceiling is €80,000 per holding and the minimum investment eligible is €2,000 per application.
The rate of grant is 40%.
The investment ceiling is raised to €160,000 for registered farm partnerships.
The rate of grant aid is increased to 60% for qualified young farmers aged under 40 years.
A maximum grant aid of €40,000 (€60,000 for partnerships) under the Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme is independent of the €80,000 in the other schemes.
Farm planning help from Teagasc
Investment under TAMS II requires careful planning.
It is important to seek expert advice when considering an on-farm investment.
Teagasc advisors are in a position to assess future expansion and the possibility of acquiring grant aid under TAMS II.
The assessment may involve farmyard layout, slurry and effluent storage, investment costs, and farmyard planning.
Advisory expertise may also be required when an applicant employs a draftsman for detailed drawings and planning permission application. The drawings must show specific measurements and comply with DAFM building specifications, when they are submitted with a TAMS II application.
Advisory assistance may also be required to source finance from banking institutions.
The TAMS II application process is divided into tranches, which are usually of three months duration.
Applications are assessed after the closing date for each tranche.
Where planning permission is required, the DAFM will not accept an application unless the full planning permission or exemption accompanies the application.
Fixed investments not requiring planning permission require a farmyard layout plan to a scale of 1:500 showing the position of the proposed investments.
Applications must be submitted online through the agfood.ie website.
Details required include the costs and dimensions of proposed investments in addition to slurry and effluent production and storage.
The following documents have to be submitted in support of an application:
Certain investments require the online submission of Card A at least five days before the final fix of steel reinforcement, and before pouring concrete.
A farm safety training course has to be completed within the five-year period prior to the submission of a claim for payment.
The claim application must, again, be submitted online.
All work must be completed and a valid claim for payment must be received by the Department within three years of the date of issue of approval, for applications submitted up to January 13, 2017.
However, applications submitted from January 14 , 2017 have only 12 months to complete structures and six months to purchase mobile equipment, from the date of approval, before submitting a claim for payment.
Claims submitted one to 25 working days late are subject to a 1% reduction in grant aid per day.
Claims submitted after 25 working days late are subject to a 100% reduction in grant aid.
It is important that at every step of the investment, preparation should be made for the claim.
The following is a list of documents that must be submitted in support of a claim for payment:
Each Teagasc advisory region has employed an advisor to complete TAMS II online applications and claims.
This work requires great precision to ensure errors or omissions do not occur in either the application or the claim.
The advisor has to be familiar with the terms and conditions of each scheme, and the DAFM building specifications and amendments to these that arise from time to time.
Compliance with DAFM specifications and explanatory notes is essential for grant aid.
The Teagasc TAMS II Planning Service is only available to clients on core contracts.
A TAMS II application and claim for large-scale projects costs €800.
Applications and claims for small-scale projects such as purchases of dairy equipment, machinery, etc, cost €165.
Contact your local Teagasc office or advisor for further details.
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Article from current issue of Today’s Farm
published by Teagasc and the Agricultural Trust.
