Building a shed can be a difficult time for farmers in terms of time and paperwork but, on top of planning fees, they can also be hit with a development contribution charge.
How big that bill is depends solely on what county the farmer is located in, an Irish Farmers Journal investigation has found.
Many county councils say the charges are to help with road infrastructure or surface water infrastructure, but it’s difficult to see how each council calculates these costs, given that every county has varying charges.
“In the last five years in the wake of dairy quota removal, there has been an awful lot of building,” Aidan Kelly from ADPS Agri Design and Planning Services told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Some county councils also have a number of exemptions if a farmer is building a shed that is intended for use as part of GLAS or the nitrates directive
“In Cork, you could build an airport and it wouldn’t cost you anything but it could be a completely different story in the county next door.”
Some county councils also have a number of exemptions if a farmer is building a shed that is intended for use as part of GLAS or the nitrates directive.
Roscommon County Council has also recently put some dairy buildings into the “intensive” class, with the intention of charging them at a higher rate
Poultry, pig and horticulture are classed as “intensive” forms of agriculture by many county councils and are subject to a higher rate of charges.
Interestingly, Roscommon County Council has also recently put some dairy buildings into the “intensive” class, with the intention of charging them at a higher rate.
This move would clearly cause uproar in other more intensive dairy counties such as Cork or Tipperary.
There have been individual calls from farmers to review the charges nationally and the IFA farm business chair Rose Mary McDonagh stated: “A large amount of agricultural developments take place to meet the requirement of new EU environmental and animal welfare regulations and are not improving farm level profitability. Therefore, agricultural developments should be exempt from such charges.”
Suckler farmer, Kildare
“I built a loose straw-bedded shed for cattle. The council was looking for €4,500 from me. I was shocked. I thought it would only be about €2,500 at the most.
“I didn’t think the price would be so steep. Luckily, my shed planner told me that if I got a letter from Teagasc saying I needed the shed for GLAS I’d qualify for an exemption.”
Poultry farmer,
Waterford
“The council is asking me for €6,000 each for two poultry sheds.
“The council is saying that the contribution charge is going towards surface water infrastructure and new road infrastructure, but I find that hard to believe since I’m doing all the construction work myself and I’ve worked out that the new sheds will mean only one extra lorry a fortnight coming down the road.
Dairy farmer, Kilkenny
“I’m building a drafting area for the milking parlour and expanding the milking area. I don’t have to pay any contribution charge on a new shed under 500m2 but technically you have to pay €6/m2 on expanding agriculture buildings in Kilkenny above 500m2. We’re expanding about 350m2 on the existing area.
“There should be a uniform charge and rules across the country. The fact that every county is different seems a bit stupid.”
Shane McAuliffe, pig farmer, Co Kerry
“When we did our last new build in 2016 there were no charges but then Kerry County Council brought them in. We calculated that the charges on that building would have been €12,000.
“Because they’ve had a good year, many pig farmers will be looking at investing in new buildings. The way we see this is that we’re being penalised.”
Contribution charge examples
Tipperary v Limerick
A dairy farmer in Tipperary has a six-bay, double-sided shed (500m2) and he wants to expand this and build an adjoining (250m2) calf shed. This expansion will cost him €1,250 in development contribution charges.
A dairy farmer in Limerick doing the same building work would not be subject to any contribution charges.
Meath v Kildare
A suckler farmer in Meath wants to build a 300m2 slatted shed. It will cost €2,700 in development contribution charges unless they get a letter from Teagasc stating they need the shed to comply with the Nitrates Directive or to replace an existing shed. The same shed would not be subject to any charges in Kildare as it is under the 500m2 threshold.
Read more
Do I need planning permission for repairs to sheds?
Planning permission and farmyard design take time
Budgeting for new buildings
Building a shed can be a difficult time for farmers in terms of time and paperwork but, on top of planning fees, they can also be hit with a development contribution charge.
How big that bill is depends solely on what county the farmer is located in, an Irish Farmers Journal investigation has found.
Many county councils say the charges are to help with road infrastructure or surface water infrastructure, but it’s difficult to see how each council calculates these costs, given that every county has varying charges.
“In the last five years in the wake of dairy quota removal, there has been an awful lot of building,” Aidan Kelly from ADPS Agri Design and Planning Services told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Some county councils also have a number of exemptions if a farmer is building a shed that is intended for use as part of GLAS or the nitrates directive
“In Cork, you could build an airport and it wouldn’t cost you anything but it could be a completely different story in the county next door.”
Some county councils also have a number of exemptions if a farmer is building a shed that is intended for use as part of GLAS or the nitrates directive.
Roscommon County Council has also recently put some dairy buildings into the “intensive” class, with the intention of charging them at a higher rate
Poultry, pig and horticulture are classed as “intensive” forms of agriculture by many county councils and are subject to a higher rate of charges.
Interestingly, Roscommon County Council has also recently put some dairy buildings into the “intensive” class, with the intention of charging them at a higher rate.
This move would clearly cause uproar in other more intensive dairy counties such as Cork or Tipperary.
There have been individual calls from farmers to review the charges nationally and the IFA farm business chair Rose Mary McDonagh stated: “A large amount of agricultural developments take place to meet the requirement of new EU environmental and animal welfare regulations and are not improving farm level profitability. Therefore, agricultural developments should be exempt from such charges.”
Suckler farmer, Kildare
“I built a loose straw-bedded shed for cattle. The council was looking for €4,500 from me. I was shocked. I thought it would only be about €2,500 at the most.
“I didn’t think the price would be so steep. Luckily, my shed planner told me that if I got a letter from Teagasc saying I needed the shed for GLAS I’d qualify for an exemption.”
Poultry farmer,
Waterford
“The council is asking me for €6,000 each for two poultry sheds.
“The council is saying that the contribution charge is going towards surface water infrastructure and new road infrastructure, but I find that hard to believe since I’m doing all the construction work myself and I’ve worked out that the new sheds will mean only one extra lorry a fortnight coming down the road.
Dairy farmer, Kilkenny
“I’m building a drafting area for the milking parlour and expanding the milking area. I don’t have to pay any contribution charge on a new shed under 500m2 but technically you have to pay €6/m2 on expanding agriculture buildings in Kilkenny above 500m2. We’re expanding about 350m2 on the existing area.
“There should be a uniform charge and rules across the country. The fact that every county is different seems a bit stupid.”
Shane McAuliffe, pig farmer, Co Kerry
“When we did our last new build in 2016 there were no charges but then Kerry County Council brought them in. We calculated that the charges on that building would have been €12,000.
“Because they’ve had a good year, many pig farmers will be looking at investing in new buildings. The way we see this is that we’re being penalised.”
Contribution charge examples
Tipperary v Limerick
A dairy farmer in Tipperary has a six-bay, double-sided shed (500m2) and he wants to expand this and build an adjoining (250m2) calf shed. This expansion will cost him €1,250 in development contribution charges.
A dairy farmer in Limerick doing the same building work would not be subject to any contribution charges.
Meath v Kildare
A suckler farmer in Meath wants to build a 300m2 slatted shed. It will cost €2,700 in development contribution charges unless they get a letter from Teagasc stating they need the shed to comply with the Nitrates Directive or to replace an existing shed. The same shed would not be subject to any charges in Kildare as it is under the 500m2 threshold.
Read more
Do I need planning permission for repairs to sheds?
Planning permission and farmyard design take time
Budgeting for new buildings
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