Planners are remaining resolute in their call on Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to extend the deadline for completion of paperwork under the Knowledge Transfer (KT) programme. As we previously reported, a perceived burden of bureaucracy is taking its toll on KT group facilitators, who are under increasing pressure to meet the 31 May deadline.

Laura Johnston, president of the Agricultural Consultants Association, said she is looking for an extension to the KT programme to the end of September.

“Planners are dealing with too many schemes at this time of year,” she said.

“Applications for the Basic Payment Scheme have only just opened and the deadline for that is 15 May,” she continued. “The nutrient management plan under GLAS II has to be in by 31 March. The deadline for the next tranche of applications under TAMS II is 7 April and the deadline for applications for the nitrates derogation has been extended until 13 April.

“We have had such an increase in workload with all that has to be done,” added Johnston, who is dealing with KT paperwork for 90 farmers.

Adding to the misery for planners is that the online system for submitting paperwork under the KT programme is not yet operational.

“We have prepared a lot on paper already,” said Johnston, “but this all needs to be replicated online. And we don’t actually know when the online system will be up and running. At least if that was up and running we could start ticking stuff off the list but we’re sort of stuck in limbo at the moment,” she added.

May deadline unrealistic

A Teagasc facilitator of three KT groups based in the south, said the 31 May deadline would only be viable if he did not have all his other work to do.

He said an extension of a few months would be “great”. The facilitator has around 170 clients across all the schemes and 60 clients across three KT groups.