BUSINESS development groups are be established for farmers as the first phase of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme (FBIS) gets under way next month.
Agriculture minister Michelle O'Neill announced the commencement of the scheme during her keynote speech at the National Ploughing Championships last week.
The initiative is going ahead after the European Union approved Northern Ireland rural development programme which will run until 2020.
"I want to stress how important these groups are, as they are designed to help farmers come together with their peers, to learn about and enhance their knowledge of business management, new technologies and innovative ways of working," she said.
"In these challenging times for the industry, this new programme will assist farmers to acquire the tools to help them make the right decisions about their businesses now, and particularly before they decide to take on additional financial commitments.”
Ms O'Neill also announced that the first phase of the leader programme is getting under way now with the development of interim local area strategies by the 10 rural Local Action Groups (LAGs) and the relevant councils.
“The Leader Programme has a budget of £70million to invest in our countryside, which is a significant sum, and I would encourage rural communities to fully engage in this process with their local LAG and council," she said.
The Ulster Farmers' (UFU) said it was pleased to hear online applications for the FBIS opened in October.
TIts deputy president Barclay Bell said: "Farm business development groups are a great way for farmers to learn from other farmers and share ideas. The groups will be a forum for farmers to keep up-to-date with all the latest technology.
“This is all about the best use of education, knowledge sharing and skills.
“Farmers who choose to participate in these groups are demonstrating an appetite to learn and share information with other farmers. This will benefit everyone in the group by helping them adapt to the changing needs of the industry in the years ahead."
