A farmer contacted me during the week regarding a tank that was currently in the yard, that they were planning on roofing and using as accommodation. The tank had been built in 2009 using grant aid at the time. The tank measured four bays in lengths, with agitation points at each end, and was covered with a 12ft 6in slat for safety, with the intention always being to create a shed over it.
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The farmer was unaware that a TAMS application could be made for a shed above this tank, but this is permissible. Where livestock housing is constructed over an existing slatted tank, the cost of the existing tank cover (slats) has to be deducted from the animal area rate. This is done by inputting the area of the slats at a rate of €68.29/m². With a 12ft 6in slat across four bays, the area in m² of the slats is 73.15m² (3.81m x 19.2m).
Using the slatted floor reference cost of €252.47/m² and deducting the above, our new reference figure comes to €184.18/m². At the floor area above, we can expect the shed to have a reference cost of €13,472 + VAT. While this figure seems small, it does not cover any toe space, canopies or creep/lie-back areas.
If we are to put a 2.4m overhang (€8,263.98), a 3m creep area (€10,721.59) and include an additional 1m of toe space in the slatted area (€3,609), then we can bring our reference cost up to €36,066.57, which is a more respectable figure. The creep area has been left relatively small due to the pen size and the fact that it will be only used for spring-calving cows.
Using the rough guide of actual costs being 20% higher than TAMS reference costs, the build above would cost somewhere in the region of €40,000 +VAT. Receiving a 40% or a 60% grant on the above would result in a net cost of approximately €25,500 or €18,500, depending on which grant amount you would be eligible for.
Stipulations
It’s not all sunshine, however. Older tanks will likely require an engineer’s report to certify that they are leak proof, have a working life of at least 20 years and are capable of supporting the structure to be built. Grant aid will not be given to construct a building over a tank constructed with block walls.
In fact, grant aid will not be given for the replacement of slats for block wall tanks, something that many farmers are unaware of.
The above structure would also require full planning permission before grant approval due to its size, and the cost of this and the engineer’s report will have to be factored in to the budget of the build.
The farmer could go and build the shed without a grant and save the cost of an engineer’s report, but at a 60% grant rate, in particular, there is a decent deduction on the build, while the specification of the shed will also be higher.