THE latest TAMS 3 information has been shared with us from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and is expanded upon in the Irish Farmers Journal webinar as detailed in the advert below. Here is a guide to the up-to-date eligibility and application requirements for the Animal Welfare, Nutrient Storage Scheme of which equine is a part.

DAFM have informed us that the scheme should be open for applications by the end of this month (March) and the dates will be published on the DAFM website when finalised. We are advised that the time from the submission of an application to an acceptance or rejection of that application, will be approximately five months.

What are the basic entry requirements?

    • You must have a minimum of three equines (of any type) and they must be recorded on last year’s census or you must record them in the upcoming 2023 census (however, seek DAFM advice if not recorded last year).
      • You must be registered with DAFM (have an equine premise number).
      • You must have a minimum of five hectares of land, owned or leased.
      • You must have applied for the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS (formerly BPS)) for those acres (although you do not need to be in receipt of those payments). You must have put in a BISS application before applying for a TAMS 3 grant.
      • Drawings and planning permissions will need to be submitted with the application and so be granted BEFORE you make the application (this will include any permanent structure such as gallops or lunge pen).
    • How much am I entitled to?

      • Equine applications have a ceiling of €90,000 across the five-year TAMS 3 cycle. You can use €90,000 up in a single application or multiple applications over the five-year period.
      • Equine farmers are entitled to 40% grant aid with exception of young farmers who are entitled to 60%, and female farmers who are also entitled to 60%. Registered farm partnerships can apply for up to €160,000.
      • Any grant received is based on the lower of the build prices e.g. the cost of a gate may be €150 from your supplier whereas the given costing on the DAFM list could be €250 - in a case such as this you will only be able to claim for the €150 (or whichever cost is the lower).
      • Applicants need to have an approval of the applications from DAFM before investing - you can’t invest now and claim later.
    • Grant claim timeline

      • The window for applications will be three months and will close in June.
      • All applications are evaluated on a points system. This is not a first come first served system.
      • Applications will be ranked by points awarded against specific set criteria.
      • Approved applications will be informed by DAFM and any application not approved will automatically roll over to be considered in the next round (only rolls over once), which opens immediately after the first round closes (four rounds per year). If you are approved you can then go ahead and build, then claim back the grant money and then must submit receipts.
      • Payment will be issued within three weeks once it has been determined that work has been completed in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme. A deadline will be applicable for completion of the relevant investment works.
    • Inspections

    • Between 5-20% of applicants will be inspected prior to approval
    • Between 5-20% of applicants will be inspected pre-payment
    • 5% of applicants will be inspected post-payment
    • Up to 48 hours notice of an inspection will be given
    • Technical queries:

      tams@agriculture.gov.ie