The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, today launched the €100m Knowledge Transfer Group Scheme.

Knowledge Transfer Groups will be implemented for some 27,000 farmers across 6 sectors – Beef, Sheep, Dairy, Tillage, Equine and Poultry.

Participating farmers in the new discussion groups will be paid a total of €750 annually for each of the three years they successfully complete.

This funding is based on the standard cost approach recommended by the Commission and represents a 50% increase in payments under BTAP/STAP, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Knowledge Transfer Groups will be delivered to farmers by qualified facilitators, with the first Groups expected to be approved in June.

To support the roll out of the Scheme, the Department has put in place a schedule of information sessions for farmers and facilitators as follows:

Separate Knowledge Transfer Information Sessions will be run for facilitators from 2.30pm until 4.30pm and for farmers from 7pm until 8.30pm on each day.

be aged eighteen years or over at date of registration.
be the holder of an active herd number (dairy and beef) with Herd Owner Status at date of registration. Herd Keeper is not acceptable.
be the holder of a Department Register Equine Premises Number at date of registration (equine).
be farming a holding in respect of which a valid Basic Payment Scheme application is submitted to the Department (dairy and beef) on a yearly basis and on which all land parcels are declared.
apply for the Knowledge Transfer Programme using the herdnumber under which their Basic Payment scheme application is made (dairy and beef).
apply for the Knowledge Transfer Programme using their registered Equine Premises Number (equine).
be producing and delivering milk to a registered Milk Purchaser during the 2014/2015 (dairy). Participants must be registered for ICBF’s HerdPlus at the time of application and remain registered for the duration of the Programme.
have a suckler herd and must be registered for ICBF Beef HerdPlus service at the time of registration and remain registered for the duration of the Programme (beef).
Nonsuckler farmers must be members of the Beef and Lamb Quality Assurance Scheme at the time of registration and remain registered for the duration of the Programme.
have a DAFM registered Equine Premises and have a minimum of 2 breeding mares

(equine).

Knowledge Transfer Groups must consist of between 12 members and 18 members, Variations may be allowed in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Department and will be considered on receipt of an application from the DAFM approved Knowledge Transfer facilitator.