The Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme covers an array of equipment and buildings and opens to applications on the May 28 and closes on August 28.
The Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney said the Scheme is very important – offering eligible young farmers a special rate of aid of 60% of investment costs, compared to the standard rate of 40% which will be generally available to other farmers.
The application process
Applications must be submitted online through agfood.ie.
Applicants who wish to apply online or through their agents must first be registered for online services (OLS) with the Department.
Instructions for registration can be found online at www.agfood.ie or you can contact agfood online services helpline in the Department’s Portlaoise office Locall 1890252118 or 0761 064424 or email [email protected]
Where the Department identifier is registered in multiple names, applications submitted quoting the identifier are deemed to be submitted with the consent of all registered owners, e.g. in the following cases
- Where the Department identifier is registered in more than one name i.e Joint Herd number
- In the case of Partnerships, by all Partners
- In the case of companies, by the Company Directors.
Manual applications forms will not be accepted. Applications which are submitted in hard-copy format, including applications which are submitted by hand shall be rejected by the Department and returned to the applicant as ineligible.
Applicants will not be able to amend applications following submission online.
For this reason applicants are advised to ensure that the application is completed fully and accurately prior to submission. The following documents must be submitted in support of your application:
- Copies of drawings and farm building layout plan as per paragraph (5.3);
- Farmyard layout plan;
- A copy of a company’s Companies Registration Office Certificate and Memorandum and Articles of Association;
- Young Farmers Declaration (Annex D);
- Grant of full and final planning permission including conditions or declaration of exemption
including maps, where applicable - Copies of drawings on which planning permission or declaration of exemption, including maps
was obtained as per 5.3 (a)(I) - Tank Costings excel sheet (as per paragraph 5.3(d) of Scheme conditions
- In certain cases an engineer’s report (as per paragraph 5.3(e) of Scheme conditions
The following document must be submitted in support of your claim for payment:
- Educational Qualification Certificate(s) (3.2);
- Evidence of completion of Teagasc Farm Safety Code of Practice or equivalent ;
- Evidence of ownership of land (copy of folio and maps) for each site. If registration has not been completed, copy of stamped Deed of Transfer and Property Registration Authority dealing number;
- Evidence of leasehold title (copy of valid lease including maps) for each site;
- Marriage Certificate in the case of a lease to a spouse.
- Receipts and bank statement if requested (8.1);
- Tax Clearance Certificate (10.2);
- Contractors Tax Clearance Certificate. (10.1);
- Quality certificates (Electrical, Slats, Concrete, Protection of Steel work, CE certificates, Welding Cert etc).
This report may be requested before an application is approved under the Scheme.
All accompanying documents which are required to support an application must be submitted by post or uploaded to this Department’s online system together with the checklist issued by Department’s online system within ten working days of the online application.
An applicant may submit the required supporting documentation in one or more batches each of which must be accompanied by the relevant checklist. A grant application will not be deemed to be valid until all supporting documentation required to accompany the application form has been received by the Department.
Applications that do not have all the required supporting documentation will be deemed ineligible. The applicant will be requested to rectify any deficiencies in the supporting documentation.
Where deficiencies are not rectified within 10 working days of a second reminder letter, such applications will be rejected.
[colored_box color="green"]All documentation not uploaded to this Department’s online system should be sent to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine, Young Farmers’ Capital Investment Scheme, On-Farm Investments Schemes Division, Johnstown Castle, Co. Wexford.[/colored_box]
The Department strongly recommends that this supporting documentation be sent to the Department by registered post or other form of tracked mailing system.
Where supporting documentation is sent to the Department by ordinary post, it shall be entirely at the applicant’s own risk. Certificates of posting will not be accepted as proof of posting in such cases. Any delay in the transmission of this accompanying documentation, howsoever it is sent to the Department, shall be solely the responsibility of the applicant.
Applications not supported by all required documentation will be deemed ineligible.
(a) Where full and final planning permission or a declaration of exemption has been obtained, the
following supporting documentation shall be lodged with the application for grant aid:
(i) Grant of full and final planning permission and a full set of those drawings (stamped by the Local Authority) on which planning permission or a declaration of exemption was obtained. The drawings shall be to a specified scale, either 1:100 or 1:200.
(ii) The floor plan shall show all significant dimensions of the structure: i.e.: where relevant – the overall internal width and length of the structure; the internal width and length of each animal area; the width and length of feed passages, the width and length of slated areas; the width and length of any channels present; the width and length of cubicle areas; the width, length and depth of any tank; the width of all tank walls; the length of spine walls; the distance a tank extends beyond the end of an animal house, the length of any safety fencing around a tank.
(iii) A simple drawing of the section through each house shall be submitted, drawn to the same scale as the plan. Where relevant – the height at the eaves and apex shall be given; the dimensions of all sliding doors shall be given; other dimensions are optional on the section drawing.
(b) For investments not requiring the submission of final planning permission or a declaration of
exemption, the following supporting documentation shall be lodged with the application for
grant aid:
(i) The floor plan shall show all significant dimensions of the structure where the investment is proposed: i.e.: the overall internal width and length of the structure; the width, length and depth of any tank; if it a block built or mass concrete tank, the location of all internal and external agitation / extractions points, the length of any safety fencing around a tank. The drawings shall be to a specified scale, either 1:100 or 1:200.
(ii) In the case of the removal of an end wall of a tank, to allow for an external agitation point, a drawing to a specified scale, either 1:100 or 1:200, showing all significant dimensions must be shown – internal width, length and depth, if the tank is mass concrete or block built. The location of all internal and external agitation / extractions points. The exact position of each new external agitation point shall be shown.
(iii) A farmyard layout plan indicating where the proposed investment is to be located, to a scale of 1:500
(c) Fixed Investments not requiring planning permission or detailed drawings; require a farmyard layout plan to a scale of 1:500 showing the position of the proposed investments (structures and fixed equipment).
(d) The Storage Tank excel sheet – where the Storage tanks excel sheet has been used to calculate the storage capacity and cost of a tank, a printout of the excel sheet or electronic copy of the excel file detailing the calculations should be submitted as part of the application.
(e) An Engineer’s report is required for the following:
Building over an existing Tank – Where it is proposed to construct a new house over an existing concrete slurry/effluent tank, a report should be submitted by a chartered engineer certifying that the tank is both structurally sound, capable of supporting the superstructure, water tight and capable of continuous use for the intended purpose for a minimum of 20 years.
A report is not needed for a tank which was grant-aided under the Farm Waste Management scheme (FWM) or Farm Improvement Scheme (FIS) after 2005.
Addition of spine walls – Where a spine wall is to be installed in an existing tank, an engineer’s report for its design must always be included.
Upgrading Poultry House – Where the roof insulation of an existing poultry house is being upgraded, a chartered engineer’s report shall be submitted certifying that the rafters and purloins are structurally sound and capable of supporting the additional load being applied for a period of 20 years.
Note 1: The drawings submitted for planning permission must show the outline of all underground tanks, and also the position of each external agitation point required as per Specification S.123.
Note 2: No grant-aid will be paid on any house with an internal agitation point and all works necessary shall be undertaken to remove internal agitation points.
Note 3: All dimensions shown on the drawings must be internal and in meters.
Note 4: No drawings are required for applications solely involving the purchase of mobile equipment.
Note 5: The drawings must have sufficient dimensions that all the dimensions in the application form can be verified from the drawings. Applicants applying for investment relating to farm waste and farm nutrient storage, must complete Section 9 of the application form and provide details that they are in compliance with farm waste and farm nutrient storage requirements as laid down in Statutory Instrument S.I. No 31 of 2014 European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulation 2014.
Applicants found to be in non-compliance will not be eligible for grant aid for investment relating to Farm Nutrient Storage and will be cross reported to the Cross Compliance Section of the Department, which may result in penalties or sanctions.
Full Terms and Conditions of the Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme can be seen here[yes-app]on the Department of Agricultures website.[/yes-app]