The performance to-date of the Knowledge Transfer (KT) Programme has been described as “very disappointing” by Charlie McConalogue, who noted that the scheme is currently running at 29% below target levels.
The Fianna Fail spokesperson for agriculture also questioned the percentage of funding going to facilitators as opposed to farmer participants.
This follows the answer by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed to a parliamentary question requested by deputy McConalogue regarding progress of the scheme so far this year.
18,015 farmers had been paid, as of September 12, for year one – with the total amount paid out coming to €11.85 million.
In addition, over €6.2 million was paid to facilitators in respect of their completion of groups in year one.
The minister noted that work is ongoing to clear the remaining year one cases to payment stage, adding that delays mainly relate to changes in ownership of herds, including those shifting between Registered Farm Partnerships.
Commenting on the figures, deputy McConalogue said: “First of all it’s very disappointing to see the participation is so much below target with 19,500 participants, when the target was 27,000 – so that’s 29% below what was projected.”
Deputy McConalogue highlighted the spending also, noting that there was €23 million allocated for 2017, which meant that there was a significant gap between what was budgeted and the figure that was actually paid.
But a key difficulty and problem with the scheme is the percentage of the funding that is going towards the group organisers as opposed to farmers themselves, and I think the scheme needs to be looked at again to make it more worthwhile and attractive for farmers to participate in.
“I note a recent AgriLand survey which indicated that 64% of farmers were unhappy with the set-up of the scheme and the overall knowledge transfer system.
“The knowledge transfer is a very important scheme and it plays a very important role in relation to equipping farmers with new information and new research and improved efficiencies, and has an important role to play across all sectors of farming.
“And it needs to work well from a department point of view and from a farmer’s point of view, but obviously it is not working as well as it should do.”
He also highlighted that it must be “structured in such a way that makes it more effective to participate in order to ensure that it is more attractive to farmers and also that the funding is properly weighed to ensure that farmers are properly recompensed for their time and paid for the time and effort that’s involved in participating in the schemes”.