We are approaching the end of the second year of the three-year Knowledge Transfer (KT) Programme. Year two concludes on 31 July 2018.
There are a number of requirements participants must complete before this deadline with their KT facilitator. The main areas include meetings of KT groups, as well as completion of the tailored farm improvement plan. It also includes the animal health measures to be completed with an approved vet.
There are six sectors represented in the programme, namely beef, dairy, equine, poultry, sheep and tillage. At the time of application, participants could join groups in two different sectors, a primary and a secondary sector.
The first sector submitted on the KT online system automatically became the primary sector. Participants could nominate an individual to represent them at meetings or events for the scheme.
No matter what the sector, participants or their nominees are required to attend and sign into either a minimum of five KT group meetings or four meetings and one Department of Agriculture-approved national event for each year of the programme.
They can also now attend just three group meetings and two national events each year.
Each beef, sheep, and dairy participant or their nominee must complete a farm improvement plan with their approved KT facilitator. A plan must consist of the following:
E-profit monitor: This must be completed in year one of the KT programme and updated on an annual basis thereafter. Breeding plan: Beef and dairy participants must complete an ICBF breeding plan in year one and update on an annual basis thereafter.Animal health measures: Participants must complete the animal health measure with a Department-approved KT private veterinary practitioner in year one and update on an annual basis thereafter.Grassland management plan: Participants must complete a grassland management plan in year one and update on an annual basis thereafter.Farm health and safety: Participants must complete the farm health and safety requirements with their KT facilitator in year one and update annually thereafter. Dairy and sheep participants must also complete a Bord Bia carbon navigator in year one of the scheme and update it annually thereafter, while dairy farmers participating in the scheme must have completed an Animal Health Ireland workshop by 31 December 2017, if they hadn’t already completed one.
Tillage farmers have their own unique requirements, including an e-profit monitor, which has to be updated annually, and a nutrient management plan.
They must also complete a baseline Teagasc IPM survey for the farm at the start of the KT programme and update on an annual basis and they must monitor and record key crop indicators, as well as the farm health and safety requirement.
Payment
The facilitator receives the initial payment for the scheme from the Department. The facilitator is responsible for reimbursing the participant their share within 25 working days of issue of payment from the Department.
There were serious delays with last year’s payments from the Department to the facilitator, with some farmers only being paid in the last two weeks.
The participant should be reimbursed €750 per year of the programme once all requirements are carried out correctly. Where a participant is registered in a secondary sector for the programme, a further €375 should be reimbursed per year.
We are approaching the end of the second year of the three-year Knowledge Transfer (KT) Programme. Year two concludes on 31 July 2018.
There are a number of requirements participants must complete before this deadline with their KT facilitator. The main areas include meetings of KT groups, as well as completion of the tailored farm improvement plan. It also includes the animal health measures to be completed with an approved vet.
There are six sectors represented in the programme, namely beef, dairy, equine, poultry, sheep and tillage. At the time of application, participants could join groups in two different sectors, a primary and a secondary sector.
The first sector submitted on the KT online system automatically became the primary sector. Participants could nominate an individual to represent them at meetings or events for the scheme.
No matter what the sector, participants or their nominees are required to attend and sign into either a minimum of five KT group meetings or four meetings and one Department of Agriculture-approved national event for each year of the programme.
They can also now attend just three group meetings and two national events each year.
Each beef, sheep, and dairy participant or their nominee must complete a farm improvement plan with their approved KT facilitator. A plan must consist of the following:
E-profit monitor: This must be completed in year one of the KT programme and updated on an annual basis thereafter. Breeding plan: Beef and dairy participants must complete an ICBF breeding plan in year one and update on an annual basis thereafter.Animal health measures: Participants must complete the animal health measure with a Department-approved KT private veterinary practitioner in year one and update on an annual basis thereafter.Grassland management plan: Participants must complete a grassland management plan in year one and update on an annual basis thereafter.Farm health and safety: Participants must complete the farm health and safety requirements with their KT facilitator in year one and update annually thereafter. Dairy and sheep participants must also complete a Bord Bia carbon navigator in year one of the scheme and update it annually thereafter, while dairy farmers participating in the scheme must have completed an Animal Health Ireland workshop by 31 December 2017, if they hadn’t already completed one.
Tillage farmers have their own unique requirements, including an e-profit monitor, which has to be updated annually, and a nutrient management plan.
They must also complete a baseline Teagasc IPM survey for the farm at the start of the KT programme and update on an annual basis and they must monitor and record key crop indicators, as well as the farm health and safety requirement.
Payment
The facilitator receives the initial payment for the scheme from the Department. The facilitator is responsible for reimbursing the participant their share within 25 working days of issue of payment from the Department.
There were serious delays with last year’s payments from the Department to the facilitator, with some farmers only being paid in the last two weeks.
The participant should be reimbursed €750 per year of the programme once all requirements are carried out correctly. Where a participant is registered in a secondary sector for the programme, a further €375 should be reimbursed per year.
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