Investing in a head scoop for better cattle handling

With recent growth in herd sizes and a greater emphasis being placed on health and safety, sales for head scoops have increased. In addition, head scoops are proving to be a very popular investment item for farmers as they are eligible for grants under TAMS II.

Head scoops not only improve overall efficiency when handling cattle but also have a number of benefits in terms of farmer safety and overall animal health.

The installation of head scoops can make the farmer’s job of handling livestock far safer. Many farmers who have installed head scoops say they make tagging, bolusing and dosing cattle easier and safer. Crushes that have head scoops installed can increase the overall efficiency of the handling process and thus save time and energy for the farmer.

TAMS II

Farmers who are considering purchasing a head scoop and are planning to avail of the TAMS II grant should be aware of the conditions.

According to the Department of Agriculture, the minimum investment for any application under TAMS II is €2,000. Some farmers forget this when making an application, especially for less expensive investment items such as a head scoop. If applying for TAMS aid to purchase a head scoop, it will have to be included with other investments to comply with the minimum investment rate.

Grant aid per investment item is calculated on the basis of the lowest of the following amounts:

1. The Department’s reference costs applicable at the date of approval. Head scoops, for example, are costed at €379 excluding VAT.

2 The total of the invoices marked “paid” net of VAT, together with costs of the applicant’s contribution in terms of labour and machinery, deemed to be eligible by the Department.

3. The cost of the investment proposed by the applicant indicated on their application form.

Last May, the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed answered a parliamentary question regarding a failed TAMS II application. In the application for a dehorning crate at a proposed cost of €950, a head scoop at €475 and scales at €1,450 was submitted with a total proposed investment of €2,875. The Department’s reference costs for these items are dehorning crate €419.90, head scoop €379.00, scales €1,164.00 – a total of €1,962.90. As the proposed grant amount was less than €2,000, as provided for in the terms and conditions, the application was rejected. The Department said in this case the applicant is free to make a further application under the scheme.

Which head scoop to buy?

This week the Irish Farmers Journal conducted a survey to get an understanding of the various specs and prices of head scoops available to farmers. We contacted a number of head scoop manufactures and sellers.

When conducting this survey, we made every effort to contact all manufacturers and sellers. The table shows a list of companies and sellers which have provided details of their head scoops available for sale. Farmers are advised when purchasing head scoops to take into consideration the overall quality of the product and not to focus solely on price.

The survey examines the features and specs of the different head scoops. Also included are price information and manufacturers’ comments.

Some of the head scoops are dual purpose meaning that they can be changed to operate either on the left or right hand side of the crush gate. However, a number of sellers contacted only sold non-dual purpose head scoops meaning that the head scoop can function either left or right only. All the above head scoops are universal and can be installed onto the crush using hanging brackets. See Table 1 for further information.