Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the witnesses from Teagasc and thank them for the outline of their statement. I want to talk to them about the farm discussion group model and how it is working out. Obviously, last year, there were issues regarding Covid-19 and farm discussion groups. It is great to see they reverted to Zoom and other mediums. Has Teagasc started back on the practical footing of having those discussion groups at farm level? Has it put a working programme in place to tie all them together?

The model is successful and proactive. There are 12 meetings monthly, with a different farmer every month, an exchange of knowledge and knowledge transfer on a practical level. It is probably even getting at a cohort of farmers from a different generation. It has worked exceptionally well. Where does Teagasc see that going over the next two or three months, in particular? When will it start in the fields? What is the future of that programme? How will it benefit the farming and agricultural community going forward?