Knowledge Transfer Programme payments worth €3m begin
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon has today (Friday, March 28) announced that payments for the first year of the Knowledge Transfer Programme have commenced.
The payments with a total value of just over €3 million have issued to 4,034 participants for year 1 of the programme.
The Knowledge Transfer Programme is part of Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
The three-year programme, administered by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), is delivered by a network of approved facilitators to participating farmers.
Minister Heydon said that the payments for year 1 of the programme are commencing on schedule, in line with his department's commitment in the Farmers Charter.
"The Knowledge Transfer Programme is not just about financial support – it is a comprehensive approach to agricultural advancement.
"Over the three-year lifetime of this programme it will play a central role in helping farmers develop the skills and knowledge which will help them to address sustainability, productivity, and competitiveness challenges.
"This isn’t just an investment in farms – it’s an investment in people. We’re creating a stronger, more connected farming community as a result of the Knowledge Transfer Programme," he said.
Given the structure of the programme, payments to participants are now commencing, with payments for facilitators to begin mid-year.
Minister Heydon noted that it is a European Union requirement that the payment for farmers in Knowledge Transfer Groups must be paid to farmers via the facilitator of their group.
Therefore, individual farmer or participant payments will issue to the facilitator who will then pass this payment to the farmer.
Where a farmer has met all the requirements of year one of the programme, the payment is €750.
Year two of the programme has already commenced.
Minister Heydon reminded participants they must attend at least eight meetings and have their one-to-one meeting completed by June 30, 2025.
The minister also reminded KT facilitators to ensure they hold the correct number and types of meetings and upload appropriate documentation on time.
