TD seeks upgrade for Mountbellew Agricultural Course

AN East Galway TD has called on Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, to stop ‘splitting hairs’ on an educational ruling that could prevent agriculture graduates at Mountbellew Ag. College/GMIT, from taking up key advisory/planning positions over the coming months.

Deputy Micheál Kitt told the Farming Tribune that a ruling by the Dept. of Agriculture, preventing graduates of Mountbellew/GMIT from being involved in the new GLAS scheme, needed to be amended immediately.

The issue was raised in the Dáil last week by Deputy Kitt – he asked Minister Coveney when a decision would be made on the eligibility of agricultural qualifications Glas planners, who had completed their B.Sc. degree in Management in Agriculture and Environmental Management.

Deputy Kitt also asked if the Minister’s attention had been drawn to the fact that a review was essential before the GLAS scheme started and if he would make a statement on the matter.

The core of the problem according to Deputy Kitt is a stipulation from the Dept. that such graduates must have a Level 8 degree qualification [essentially an honours degree] as distinct from the Level 7 ‘ordinary degree’ qualification that they get at Mountbellew/GMIT.

“This really is an intolerable piece of hair splitting by the Department in relation to graduates of Mountbellew/GMIT. Both Mountbellew and GMIT enjoy exemplary academic status in their fields of education – this is just bureaucracy gone too far,” said Deputy Kitt.

So far, the only ‘olive branch’ being held out for the students is a commitment from Minister Coveney, at the end of a lenghty Dáil reply on the issue, that he ‘will consider the issues further’.

The full reply from the Minister on Deputy Kitt’s question stated: “EU Regulations governing the Direct Payment Schemes requires my Department to operate a Farm Advisory System (FAS) to provide advice to farmers on a range of issues relating to land and farm management.

“The regulations require that advisors are suitably qualified and regularly trained. In addition, in order to be approved as a GLAS advisor, an advisor must also be an approved FAS advisor.

“In determining the level of educational qualifications required to be a FAS/GLAS advisor, my Department must ensure that such qualifications are of an appropriate standard to meet the objectives and the requirements of the various schemes, and the associated governing legislation, on which advice is being provided.

“Advisors must be qualified to interpret soil tests, understand the requirements of all schemes and understand constraints of land management imposed by various land designations.

“Furthermore, advisors must be in a position to translate this knowledge into detailed management plans and also provide advice for famers, not only on the schemes requirements, but also on their farm operations.

“In order to ensure that advisors meet the requirements outlined above, my Department requires that all advisors must have attained a HETAC Level 8 Bachelor Degree in Agricultural Science/Land Management in Agriculture and must have taken soil science and an animal or crop production subject to a level 8 (NFQ) degree standard.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.