Farmers are set to take a multimillion euro hit to their incomes next year as the Knowledge Transfer (KT) programme ends, with no replacement scheme planned.

Some €29m has already been paid out to farmers under the three-year scheme.

So far this year, 8,143 farmers have been paid €5m, with more still due. In 2017, payments worth €12.5m were made to farmers, while in year two, 18,351 farmers received €11.5m.

However, the scheme’s loss will not just be felt by farmers, with agricultural advisers and vets also set to see their revenues fall.

Advisers

Teagasc and private agricultural advisers have so far received €15.4m from the scheme as KT facilitators, and are awaiting payments for year three.

Teagasc accounts show that it received €3.7m last year from the Government for the Knowledge Transfer programme.

Approved vets were also charging farmers between €100 and €250 to complete herd health plans as part of the scheme.

Farmers were paid €750 (€1,125 where participating in two sector-groups), while facilitators received €500 for each participant.

The Department of Agriculture has confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal that there will be no KT programme in 2020.

The three-year scheme reached its conclusion in July and, prior to Budget 2020, there had been hopes that it might be renewed for another year.

Budget allocated

A Department spokesperson said the budget for the rural development programme (RDP) was fully allocated and there was no intention to introduce a new KT programme next year. The spokesperson said discussions in relation to future CAP regulations were ongoing and they would form the basis for the next set of CAP schemes once finalised.

The KT programme originally had a funding allocation of €100m and a target to attract 27,000 farmers.

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