Payments worth €20m for the second year of the Knowledge Transfer scheme have begun to land in facilitators’ accounts, farm advisors told the Irish Farmers Journal this Thursday.

“There has been a high rate of payment delivery so far,” said Owen O’Driscoll, president of the Agricultural Consultants’ Association.

“Many got it last night. Payment for four out of five groups is common,” he said, adding that he had personally received payment for all his groups.

With all systems now in place among advisors check that participants in their groups have attended the required modules, O’Driscoll did not expect difficulties in delivering onward payments to farmers.

Hopefully they have it sorted out

Another advisor based in Co Limerick said he had received payment for all farmers in his beef groups on Wednesday.

“I have meetings organised next week to pay them,” said the advisor, who did not wish to be named.

This already marks an improvement on 2017, for which three farmers in his KT groups have yet to be paid. “Last year was horrific,” he said. “Hopefully they have it sorted out.”

The advisor said two of his groups had passed inspections last October but the Department did not pay them until the following April.

He also enquired about a missing payment for a farmer last November and only received it this September, after the Department took several months to reply to queries about the case, he added.

The advisor received his own payment for 2017 this September, after paying an employee for a year and a half to help facilitate the groups, he said.

Read more

Farm finance: €20m in year two KT payments commence