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Disenchanted farmers are considering leaving the Knowledge Transfer Programme before they even receive their first payment.
High costs, a very tight time frame and a perceived burden of bureaucracy are taking a toll on the Department of Agriculture’s Knowledge Transfer (KT) groups.
Some of the 20,000 farmers involved in 1,187 groups have already dropped out and many more are considering leaving.
Group facilitators have reported farmers lapsing from the scheme due to the costs of participating and the administrative burden.
The Department has confirmed that approximately 30 farmers have notified it of their withdrawal from the KT programme. However, many more farmers are unhappy with the programme and are on the brink of leaving.
Major concerns
Facilitators themselves also have major concerns about the tight time frame they have to complete meetings and paperwork for year one ahead of the 31 May deadline. Each individual farm improvement plan consists of an e-Profit Monitor, breeding plan, animal health plan, grassland management plan and health and safety plan.
There is an annual payment of €750 for successful participants, with each facilitator paid €500 per applicant for each year a group completes.
Veterinary charges for the on-farm animal health and management measure vary widely, ranging from €100 per farmer up to €250 for the herd health plan, which is mandatory in year one of the scheme.
Agricultural advisers report that some farmers with smaller suckler herds have opted to drop out of the programme rather than shoulder the cost of €200 and €250 health plans.
Other advisers report that farmers are leaving because “it’s too much hassle”, because “interest just fizzled out” and “circumstances changed”.
Farmer meetings require a quorum of 60% of all members to be present in order to be considered valid. However, fears are growing that some groups could struggle to reach this attendance as the busy calving and lambing season takes precedence.
Laura Johnston, president of the Agricultural Consultants Association, told the Irish Farmers Journal that KT work clashes directly with BPS applications.
“The busiest time of year for us starts from St Patrick’s Day until BPS applications close on 15 May. That leaves us with 15 days to complete all the KT paperwork before 31 May,” said Johnston.
“If the application date could be extended to the end of June, it shouldn’t affect farmers’ payments and it would mean we could give far more meaningful one-to-one engagement with each farmer.”
IT issues are also affecting the programme. The web-based Animal Health Computer System (AHCS) is not yet available for vets to complete the animal health measure and advisers are also waiting for the online portals for the farm improvement plan and the breeding plan. As well as an extension to the deadline, Johnston proposed a number of changes to alleviate problems within the programme.
These included dropping the 60% attendance requirement for meetings and allowing new clients to join the programme from July onwards to replace dropout farmers. She also proposed reviewing the five-group limit on facilitators and allowing changes to farmer nominees.
Farmer dropouts
“People are talking of dropping out,” said Roscommon farmer John O’Beirne. “It’s only now that farmers see that the animal health plan has to be paid for and the profit monitor has to be completed. It’s only now they are beginning to think it’s intrusive into their own business and how much they have to pay out. Really and truly what the farmer is getting out of it is not worth their while,” maintained the IFA livestock committee member.
“The feeling of farmers is that this scheme was dreamed up to facilitate keeping Teagasc and planners in work.”
“I am on the brink of leaving,” Co Clare farmer Kevin Hehir told the Irish Farmers Journal. “The costs are just too high. There’s €60 compulsory for ICBF and veterinary charges in Clare are €200, with only one or two vets in west Clare approved by the Department, plus the costs coming from following the vet’s advice. I have to do five meetings, four of them were 23 miles from my home as they were all held in Ennis. There is another one to be done. It doesn’t make sense.”
What are the issues with the KT system?
Time frame: Farmers, facilitators and vets will be under severe pressure to meet the 31 May deadline.
Cost: There is a wide variation in the charges by vets for on-farm animal health assessments and some farmers believe the veterinary costs are too high.
IT issues: Web-based portals are not yet available for major components of the KT programme.
Bureaucracy: Meeting minimum attendance quorums for farmer meetings is difficult, particularly during calving and lambing season.
Farmers should not be charged for Knowledge Transfer meetings – Department
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