Participants in the Knowledge Transfer (KT) Programme have been given more time to submit their Farm Improvement Plans (FIPs).
The deadline – which was due to close at the end of this month – has been extended to August 21, by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed.
But the deadline of July 31 for holding meetings of KT Groups remains in place, he added. This is the second time that the deadline for the submission of FIPs has been extended – the original deadline was May 31.
Minister Creed said: “The extension of the deadline until August 21 will allow advisors and planners further time to finalise actions required under the scheme.
It will also enable vets to finalise Animal Health Measures for farmer participants.
Last week, AgriLand revealed that close to 85% of KT Programme participants had yet to complete their FIPs – with the July 31 deadline fast approaching (at the time).
On Wednesday, July 19, a total of 3,183 FIPs had been completed by participants, according to figures released by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; another 8,006 were in progress.
Earlier this year, it was confirmed that just over 20,000 farmers were registered with the department under the KT Programme
The KT Programme is funded under the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014-2020; it involves group interaction complemented by one-to-one advice across a range of sectors.
A total of €100 million in funding has been allocated under the RDP for KT Groups across the dairy, beef, equine, sheep, tillage and poultry sectors.
As part of the KT Groups, participants attend meetings and approved KT events which – together with a tailored FIP – will support farmers in addressing a range of competitiveness and sustainability challenges facing the sector.
Minister Creed added: “This extension will enable advisors and vets to benefit from extra time to finalise actions for their KT Groups and to progress the outstanding work carried out to date under the scheme.
“In turn, this allows farmers to derive maximum benefit from the KT Programme.”