Minister Heydon announces first payments under Knowledge Transfer Programme
- Published on: 28 March 2025
- Last updated on: 4 April 2025
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon today announced that payments in respect of the first year of the Knowledge Transfer Programme have commenced.
Minister Heydon commented:
“I can confirm that participant payments in relation to year one of the Knowledge Transfer Programme have now commenced. I am pleased to note that these payments are commencing on schedule, in line with our commitment in the Farmers Charter.”
The Knowledge Transfer Programme is not just about financial support – it is a comprehensive approach to agricultural advancement.
According to the Minister:
“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.”
Given the structure of the programme, payments to participants are now commencing, with payments for facilitators to commence mid-year. It is a European Union regulatory requirement that the payment for farmers in Knowledge Transfer Groups must be paid to farmers via the facilitator of their Knowledge Transfer Group. Thus, 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 and the Minister reminded participants they must attend at least eight meetings and have their one-to-one meeting completed by 30 June 2025. The Minister also reminded KT facilitators to ensure they hold the correct number and types of meetings and upload appropriate documentation on time.
Notes
Payments to the value of €3,025,500 have issued today in respect of 4,034 participants for Year 1 of the Knowledge Transfer Programme.
EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP)
The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) is a partnership between society and agriculture that ensures a stable supply of food, safeguards farmers’ income, protects the environment and keeps rural areas vibrant. EU countries implement the CAP at national level with a tailored CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027.
Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan is co-funded by the EU and the Government of Ireland 2023-2027. For more information, visit www.gov.ie/cap.