Applications have ramped up over the past year for the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS). This has seen both tranches 13 and 14 oversubscribed.

A total of 675 applicants were rolled over from tranche 13, which ran from 8 December 2018 to 5 April 2019, into tranche 14, which ran from 6 April 2019 until 5 July 2019.

What we now see is a further 610 applications rolling from tranche 14 into tranche 15, which runs until 4 October 2019.

The real issue for farmers who applied for grant aid in tranche 14 is that many would have been hoping to have the investment completed by the winter, with slurry storage capacity coming under pressure on the farm.

Farmers who are now in tranche 15 could face a wait of over three months to know if their application has been successful or not.

Options

One viable option for farmers who were planning to have housing facilities completed this year may be to install the tank of the shed. If they do this before the TAMS application has been approved, then they will not be eligible to receive grant aid on the tank.

However, it would ensure they have enough slurry storage for the winter. They could then amend their current application or submit a new application and remove the tank from the application and still receive grant aid on the remainder of the project, if the application is successful.

However, it is important that you have a certified engineer involved in the project, as he will be required to sign off that the tank has been built to specification. This is necessary to get grant aid on the remainder of the project.

A word of caution – some farmers have encountered issues where the engineer who inspects the tank is not certified. In this instance, grant aid cannot be paid on the portion of the shed over the tank.

Farmers are required by law to have sufficient slurry storage capacity for the number of livestock that they have on their farm.