Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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66. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the knowledge transfer scheme will be extended for a further year and opened for applications in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41971/19]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Knowledge Transfer (KT) Programme, which was funded under the Rural Development Programme(RDP) 2014 -2020, concluded in August 2019, as provided in the Rural Development Programme. Budget 2020 provides for residual payments under this programme. I am fully committed to the future of the Knowledge Transfer Programme however, and will be working in 2020, towards the development of a new programme in due course, within the confines of available resources.

Negotiations in relation to the post-2020 CAP regulations are ongoing and these will form the basis for the next iteration of CAP schemes when they are finalised. It is envisaged that knowledge transfer measures will form a key part of the next CAP.

At present, the Department is seeking submissions from stakeholders in relation to the SWOT analysis which will underpin the range of measures to be included in the next CAP.