DARD briefs committee on RDP

Attendance across the first week of training events for the first meeting of the Business Development Groups (BDG) was 81%, Colette McMaster from DARD told MLAs at the Assembly’s agriculture committee meeting on Tuesday.

The first training events began last week at the three CAFRE campuses and are continuing this week and next.

McMaster added that there would be a further opportunity for farmers to register for the groups if they could not attend the first event.

When questioned about the time frame and the list of items on the capital grant element of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme, McMaster said: “We can’t be specific at this stage on dates for the opening of schemes until business case approval from DFP (Department of Finance and Personnel) is obtained.”

Fees on the rise for CAFRE spraying course

With the end of grandfather rights, there has been a significant increase in farmers and growers wanting to achieve certificates in the safe use of pesticides.

There are a number of legitimate training and assessment providers across NI, including CAFRE.

In recent times, they have tended to provide training and assessment at a lower cost than others.

However, their fees are set to increase significantly for anyone applying after 1 April 2016.

That is a direct result of a decision taken last March to drop industry training provided at the college as part of an exercise to save costs and in response to job cuts within DARD.

Lobbying by stakeholders for the service to remain forced a rethink within the Department, but it has come at a price, with staff told that they must recover costs from industry if the service is to remain.

It means that fees are set to increase, with PA1 (safe use of pesticides) increasing from £63 to £110, and PA2A (boom sprayer and tractor-mounted) increasing from £174 to £290.

Further details about the range of courses on offer, including the new fees being introduced are available on the CAFRE website www.cafre.ac.uk.