New Teagasc Mayo Green-Cert Courses Autumn 2022

Padraig Walsh, Teagasc Ballina

Teagasc Mayo delivers a range of courses catering for both existing farmers and young people planning to farm in the future. Courses on Farm Safety, Grassland management, Nutrient Management Planning, Phosphorus build-up and more recently AETS are delivered from the four Teagasc offices in the county, while “Green Cert” courses are delivered from the two Teagasc Education Centres in Ballina and Ballinrobe.

Teagasc Mayo is currently taking names of anyone interested in participating in upcoming Green Cert classes planned to commence soon in 2022.

Teagasc Mayo Green Cert Options

Teagasc Mayo offers two Green Cert options to cater for students that may have followed different educational pathways post-secondary school.

• Option one is a Distance Education option: this is open to applicants with a QQI Level 6 or higher major award in a non-agricultural discipline (e.g. a degree / an apprenticeship / equivalent qualification). This option takes circa 18 months to complete, with students participating in classes 1 to 2 days per month for a total of approximately 28 full contact days. It is envisaged that a Distance Education Green Cert Course will start in November 2022 in the Teagasc Ballinrobe Regional Educational Centre.
• The second option is the Part-time Green Cert course: applicants must be 23 years or older to avail of this option, which takes approximately two years to complete. This course is delivered on one day per week through the year, with workload reduced for the summer break months, and is run in both the Ballina and Ballinrobe Education centres. It is hoped that a Part-time Green Cert Course will start in October 2022 in the Teagasc Ballina Regional Educational Centre.

Both options are delivered and assessed through a blend of physical classroom settings, virtual delivery through Skype and Zoom, physical outdoor delivery on farms and other relevant locations on which enterprise skills are taught and assessed, with assessment work completed physically or virtually where appropriate. Exams are typically completed in our classrooms, with reports and assignments submitted physically in the classroom, or by e-mail, or uploaded to a platform such as Moodle.

Potential Benefits of completing the Green Cert

There are significant potential benefits and advantages in completing the Green Cert, and Teagasc would strongly advise intending course participants to research with their advisors or consultants, and their solicitors and accountants, how these potential benefits could apply to their own farm situation. Variables such as student-farmer age, farm size, off-farm income level, time spent farming, duration of official farming career, plus other factors all impact the extent to which students can benefit from the Green Cert qualification.

Apart from the primary transfer of knowledge, the benefits of completing the Green Cert could include Revenue benefits such as access to full Stamp Duty Relief, Agricultural Relief from CAT, Consanguinity Relief from Stamp Duty, Enhanced Stock relief etc., and /or DAFM incentives such as availing of Young Farmers payments, National Reserve Entitlements, higher TAMS grants etc., and other possible incentives in the reformed CAP.

Registering your Interest in Teagasc Mayo Green Cert Courses

New Teagasc Distance Education and Part-time classes are already underway in our two centres in 2022, and Teagasc Mayo welcome Expressions of Interest from potential students for our upcoming courses commencing soon in 2022 as outlined previously.

If you wish to express your interest in attending one of our Teagasc courses you can contact Cora Owens in Teagasc Ballinrobe at (094) 9541125, or by e-mailing cora.owens@teagasc.ie, or by contacting any Teagasc office. Also check out Teagasc Mayo Facebook and Twitter pages.

Teagasc Mayo have organized a number of Information Evenings to assist people and answer any questions potential participants have in relation to the two course types and the advantages of doing the Green Cert. The final remaining date and venue is as follows:

• Friday 16^th September commencing at 7.30 pm in the Teagasc Centre Ballinrobe

If you have any individual query in relation to Succession, Inheritance or related issues, Teagasc advisors and Education Officers, can hopefully be of assistance to you. There are also some useful publications such as the “Transferring the Family Farm” booklet available on the Teagasc website www.teagasc.ie

Furthermore, Teagasc nationally is also hosting a series of Transferring the Family Farm Clinics around the country, and one of these clinics will take place on Wednesday 5^th October from 10.30 AM to 1.00 PM in the McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris, Co. Mayo, F12 D1W3. This is an opportunity for anyone interested in the farm transfer process to meet with relevant Teagasc specialists and to hear what they have to say. The clinics are designed to help farm families through the process of and all aspects that need to be considered when transferring the family farm. The Green Cert has a key role to play at succession time, and completing the course in advance of the transfer process has many advantages as will be discussed at both the Information Night on Friday the 16^th September, and the Clinic on 5^th October.

Attendees are not required to book in advance of the Green Cert Information night, but must register for the Transferring the Family Farm clinic. This can be done by registering at https://www.teagasc.ie/news--events/national-events/events/farmtransfermayo.php  or by contacting your local Teagasc Mayo office.