Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister's statement regarding the grain industry, an issue that was discussed at this meeting. Rarely have we seen such devastation in the grain industry. I have never seen anything like it in my part of the world. Yields are down, moisture is high and even the ability to bale straw is not there at the moment. I wish the Minister luck with the meeting to be held on 8 October. I think it is a very positive step, especially because grain farmers feel that the livestock farmer has received an opportunity for some direct aid while they again have been kept out of the loop. I welcome the announcement by the Minister.

Will the Minister comment on the knowledge transfer scheme and where we are with it? Is he happy with the uptake? The scheme will give €750 to farmers and €500 to the moderator of the scheme. About €100 million was put aside for it and it is hoped to attract up to 25,000 farmers.

Is the Minister happy with the uptake of the scheme and is he proposing any amendments going forward? The scheme, of course, follows on from two or three previous schemes run by Teagasc which were exceptionally successful. It is all about knowledge transfer and getting people into it. It is about the whole idea of having farmers be farmers so that they can get their experiences across. For the generations that left the agricultural institutions year ago, it was great way to get that information across. I am a little bit concerned about the uptake of the scheme and I wonder if the Minister has proposals to deal with the issue.