Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 8 October 2025

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and Food

Supports for Private Advisory Providers Delivering Advice on Nitrates and Water Quality Improvements: Agricultural Consultants Association

2:00 am

Mr. Tom Canning:

Very quickly, I would say we are required to do complete CPD training modules, as Mr. O'Driscoll said earlier, to get our FÁS accreditation. We have had no structured, organised, professional CPD training other than that for the past two and a half years. Our members rely on ad hoc training that they have to fund themselves, taking time off work to attend it. At the end of the day, there is no joined-up thinking with regard to organised training across the board.