Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 December 2023
63. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide an update on ensuring that women in agriculture and young farmers can take part in knowledge transfer groups; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55406/23]
View answerThe new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has brought a new approach to knowledge transfer (KT) – the new system is more targeted, with equal emphasis on CAP objectives and local needs.
An example of this is that each participant will have an annual one-to-one planning meeting with the KT Facilitator, using the farmer’s Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS) application so that the knowledge transfer can be applied to the goals of that farm and crucially can be evaluated in future years.
This new KT Programme is far more tailored to the individual farm and targeted to local needs in accordance with the regulations.
The Knowledge Transfer (KT) Programme 2024-2026 was opened for group applications from 25 September to 19 November 2023. The Programme will be delivered by an approved network of KT Facilitators, with herd owners participating in the Programme.
The terms and conditions of the Programme set out that the participant must attend the group meetings and one-to-one meetings and submit the annual online form. It also states that the participant must have an active business ID such as a herd number, Registered Farm Partnership (RFP) or Company ID, they must have submitted a BISS application in 2023, and must also submit a BISS application in each year of the Programme. They must apply under the herd number used to submit their BISS application.
Participants shall apply for the Programme using the herd number under which their BISS application is made, except for Registered Farm Partnerships. Where participants are members of a Registered Farm Partnership applications must be made under the individual herd numbers. For single herd partnerships or joint ventures one Participant can apply, that participant is decided upon by the persons on the herd number. For multi-herd partnerships the number of Participants will be determined by the number of herd owners. Herd keepers cannot submit BISS applications and therefore do not meet the eligibility criteria for this Programme. The terms and conditions do not impose any restrictions on participants based on age or gender.
