“FOR the first time under TAMS, equine breeders will have the opportunity to invest in important infrastructure for their farms including housing, training facilities, and fencing. This will help make the breeding and handling of horses safer for farmers and the animals. It will be a real game-changer for small breeders who are at the heart of the sector,” thus stated Minister of State with special responsibility for farm safety Martin Heydon, on Monday.

This week’s announcement brought plenty of good news for the equine industry across all sectors, but before we get stuck into the nuts and bolts of what’s on offer, it’s important to remember how these equine inclusions came about, and also how vital they are for the future of the industry.

Help each other

Equine Farming Taskforce advocate for equine inclusion in TAMS, Patrick Hester, told The Irish Field: “If anything can be learned from the TAMS equine inclusion it is that industry collaboration works, and we should all try to help each other.

“All the argument that goes on in the sector, complaining about this or that. We (and equally our equivalents in the racing sector) worked for this. We worked with upper-level management. We worked with Horse Sport Ireland, with DAFM, we created awareness, we created good communications - that’s how it happened.

“My phone’s been going non-stop since the announcement with people wanting to know more. It’s really great to see young people who are going to get their Leaving Cert and then get their equine farming Green Cert and avail of the new TAMS grant aid. It’s great for the sector to see these young people coming through to breed, train and produce Irish horses.”

Hester believes equine farming grants should become a greater part of equine career guidance, continuing: “It really does help if those kids can avail of this, both in the thoroughbred and the sport horse sector. It should become easier for people to say, ‘I could make a living out of this or have a good hobby and make that hobby pay.’

Equine investments will be available under the Animal Welfare and Nutrient Storage Scheme at a grant rate of 40% (60% for those qualifying as young farmers and 60% for female farmers). Equine farmers who qualify will be able to apply for a range of infrastructure and the costings have been set by DAFM.

IFA Horse Project Team chair Richard Kennedy welcomed the inclusion of equine facilities commenting: “Following a campaign by the IFA Horse Project Team to include equine facilities, it is important to see confirmation of the equine measures included that will help thousands of small horse breeders.

“While horses have been excluded from TAMS grant support in the past, it was heartening to finally see measures grant aided which will be of real assistance to the thousands of farmers that are involved in keeping and breeding horses, both thoroughbred and sports horses,” he added.

Grassroots

Kennedy also recognised the support that the Horse Project Team received from the IFA Rural Development Committee when including the equine measures in the IFA CAP Strategy Plan 2023-27 submissions to Government.

Martin Merrick, buildings journalist with The Irish Farmers Journal, agreed that the equine inclusion was a vital step: “It’s great to see TAMS service the needs of the equine industry with such a broad range of housing and exercise facilities included which will service grassroots breeders right up to large racing yards. The horse industry is an important pillar in rural Ireland, so it’s only right that breeders and producers are catered for. It’s an important foothold to get equine facilities grant aided.”

TAMS 3 will run for five years and will include 10 schemes; it will open for receipt of applications on a phased basis by scheme.

Phased basis

The Animal Welfare and Nutrient Storage Scheme, which the equine infrastructure comes under, is set to be open for applications on a phased basis by mid-March. Other schemes begin from this week. It is anticipated that the first tranche for all schemes will close on June 16th, 2023.

It is important for any potential applicants to begin to work now to ensure they have all in place to qualify for the scheme (see opposite page for more details on how applications may work).

The full range of investments and the reference cost documents can be found at: www.gov.ie/en/service/4255c-targeted-agricultural-modernisation-scheme-3-tams-3/.

Queries of a technical nature relating to the specifications should be submitted by email to tams@agriculture.gov.ie.

A technical helpline number 053 9114181 is available between 10am to 12.30pm and from 2pm to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

For all other TAMS queries contact TAMS 3 Admin on 053 9163425.

Contractors can register their eTC and access code by emailing TAMScontractors@agriculture.gov.ie