The draft CAP plan details a new Knowledge Transfer (KT) programme for almost 19,000 farmers, to be run by 530 facilitators.

With a budget of €71.1m for 2023 to 2027, it is proposed that the existing payment rates, €750 to each farmer and €500 per farmer to the adviser, will be maintained.

The KT groups will focus on biodiversity, water, climate change, animal welfare and farm management including financial management and succession planning.

KT groups won’t be farm sector-specific, but created in accordance with local needs.

Each group will be required to hold four meetings from a list of priority KT topics, and four meetings on topics decided by the group itself.

Separately, a €21m training fund (2023-2027 total) is proposed for farmers and trainers in the agri-environment climate measures (AECM), and €4m is proposed for trainers in the suckler carbon efficiency scheme, to be paid to the trainer at a rate of €100 annually per farmer attendee.