The original deadline for registration was Thursday 30 June. However, Minister Creed said that this extension will allow advisers and farmers further time to finalise arrangements for their knowledge transfer groups.

Applications can only be made through agricultural advisers who are approved knowledge transfer facilitators.

"These groups will be important support for farmers in addressing a range of competitiveness and sustainability challenges facing the sector," he said.

Funding of €100m is allocated under the Rural Development Programme (RDP) for the formation and administration of knowledge transfer groups across the dairy, beef, equine, sheep, tillage and poultry sectors.

"I would urge farmers and advisers to finalise their groups at an early date," Minister Creed added. "In addition to helping farmers pursue best practice and protect farmers’ incomes, knowledge transfer groups have also been seen to provide a range of social benefits for farmers."

No leeway

Laura Johnston, Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) president said that the interest among their farmer members has been overwhelming, but that the Department of Agriculture are giving no leeway to advisers to meet these demands.

"Advisers were asked last September, with no information on the scheme, to apply for these groups. Unless you're psychic, how can you say what the demand is going to be like in the various sectors?

"Now we have the situation, for example, where advisers have applied for five beef groups and can only fill four, but they have a lot of interest for a sheep group instead. The Department won't allow for alterations once submitted. This is an inhibiting factor for getting farmers into the scheme," she said.

According to Johnston, a group of 21 organic farmers are keen to put together a group, but again, the Department will not allow this, with maximum group capacity set in stone at 18.

"They should be encouraging organic farmers. There isn't that many of them.

"This extension will possibly help a little bit, to get more farmers in. Most of our own consultants have their groups organised and ready to go. With the weather, and with lads trying to get silage off the ground, it gives us a bit of breathing room to get everything organised," she told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Application forms for the scheme are available here.

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Deadline to join knowledge transfer groups looming