The Knowledge Transfer scheme that was brought introduced this year is in my view not any major benefit to farmers but the story of it’s implementation gets worse as the months go by . I have received calls from irate farmers who registered with Teagasc for the Knowledge Transfer Scheme and now they are receiving bills for membership even though this was not explained to them in first place. Secondly, Teagasc are getting 500 Euro per person to deliver this Knowledge Transfer scheme, and thirdly, the farmers have different planners to do their other work and who charge no fee other than price per scheme . This is in light of Teagasc getting over 6 million EU funds from CAP and also other funding to write these courses.
Does Teagasc think that they can milk the cow dry with this totally unacceptable carry on? I’m hearing that farmers’ Knowledge Transfer money will not be processed if this so called membership fee is not paid and that is outlandish and totally unacceptable behaviour . The day has come for Teagasc to live in real world. I also understand that profit monitor and nutrient management packages are being charged to private planners even though my sources tell me that the state paid Teagasc already for putting it together.
I have no problem if a farmer is in BPS and Glas and talking to a Teagasc adviser regularly then a membership fee is acceptable, but whether it is a private planner or Teagasc they get directly paid to deliver Knowledge Transfer and a membership fee is totally unacceptable on those grounds . Teagasc do good research for sure, but whoever is driving this double payment system is not putting farmers interests first which should be their goal . I intend to look closely into all the funding Teagasc is receiving and it may be time to see if they we are getting value for money from them. I am contacting Teagasc to request that they drop this double whammy and treat their customers, the farmers, with respect . All farmers want is fair play and I’m calling on farming organisations to stand with the farmers on this fiasco.
