The Department of Agriculture plans to issue a significant number of payments which remain outstanding for year one of the Knowledge Transfer (KT) programme over the coming weeks.

This was outlined last week at briefings given by Department of Agriculture officials to the Agricultural Consultants Association and to Teagasc.

Payments

If the payments are made soon, this will come as a relief to the approximately 1,400 farmers who are now completing year two and frustrated to be still awaiting payment for year one. They had originally hoped payments would be made last autumn. Many of these farmers operate in partnerships or as limited liability companies or recently obtained a new herd number.

The Department officials said that payments were approved last week for beef groups and will be made immediately, ACA president Owen O’Driscoll told the Irish Farmers Journal. Payments would next be made to dairy groups, in July, followed by tillage and forestry groups. KT payments are issued to group facilitators who pass them on to the farmer participating in their groups.

Speed

The Department officials also noted that payments should flow more quickly for year two, O’Driscoll said. This was on the basis that procedures were now in place to deal with partnership farmers and other problem cases. Farmer participants will complete their year two programme at the end of this month. Meetings and events for year three will get under way in September.

The remaining 17,800 participants in KT have been paid for year one and the average payment was approximately €660, lower than the maximum €750 available.