Cost of Agri Advisor

DK man

Hi all,

I am a small sheep farmer with 20 acres.

Would like a few opinions on the cost of an agri advisor and the benefits etc.

I am with my advisor for approx. 12 yrs now. I don't get very much in terms of payments but that's probably more to do with coming into farming relatively late.

He charges €200 for BISS Applications / TAMS Sheep Safety Applications etc.

I made a quick phone call last yr asking about slurry on the land - it was a 5 minute conversation and ended with a you should be okay with X amount of slurry per acre.

I don't mind paying anyone who puts in a shift on my behalf but a 5 minute phone call for €200 seems a bit rich. The last time I visited a medical consultant in the Blackrock Clinic I paid €150 for a 10-15 minute consultation which included an examination. A medical consultant has a massive insurance bill and took about 15 yrs to train.

When I went to try to buy stuff with the TAMS grant the seller said that I was missing a few items so the stuff I was looking at could only be partially covered by the grant?

I have been renting entitlements for a number of yrs through the Agri Advisor - every yr I asked him if I could buy entitlements - he said you could if you could find anyone willing to sell them - I googled buy entitlement and found 2 companies who trade in entitlements and one phone call later I had a range of options for purchasing them.

The engineering company selling the Sheep handling gear directed me through the grant application as I want to apply for the parts I was missing and it was a 5 minute job / a few clicks of a mouse.

I appreciate people have to make a living and I don't expect to get anything for free - but I think my so called advisor is taking the piss and he's more interested in what's in it for him rather than offering me advice on how to best run my farm.

I would be very interested in peoples views on above.

Thanks - DK

Aravo

I have previously used comment below on threads about other agri related matters and agri schemes. It fits in nicely here aswell. "I think farming these days is creating a lot of full time jobs for others in auditing, overseeing various schemes, even though the farmer is likely to be part time".

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365793/cost-of-agri-advisor

if you are a small bit tech/internet savey there is very little to the biss application, especially if no changes every year. Probably a little more too it of renting in entitlements; but if shown once I suspect you be grand. There are annual workshops to assist also run by the deptment.

Don’t forget for a scheme like ACRES you have to have an advisor: so don’t burn that bridge entirely.

Tileman

yea the way schemes are going they are making u go through advisor to keep them employed and I suppose reduce the number of admin mistakes.
however I do all my own biss application every year, did my own tams for doing the shed , sheep schemes etc It’s all relatively easy once you are computer literate.

The only one I need the advisor for is acres and again I practically had to list out all the applications , remind him to submit lipp score this year.

For the op €200 is small amount that does not incentivise the advisor but still a bough for u when u are not getting much out of it. Is there another advisor u could link in with . It might cost a few € more but u might get more out of it

DK man

Thanks for all the replies above.

DK