Training to be a REPS 4 planner

Hi there,

My relevant Science degree is an Honors Degree in Environmental Science with Botany and Zoology as my fourth year modules which are relevant. A few of my classmates have became REPS planners and moved on to other things since.

There is a document on the Dept of Ag about REPS planners, its not the clearest, thus i decided to post the question and see if anyone had a straightforward to do list. I plan to become an independent planner rather than tied to an agency as I'm not sure how much time I'll devote to it.

the website is:
http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/index.jsp?file=areasofi/reps_planner/circulars_2005.xml

the document is:
05/2005 - Requirements for REPS Planners and Planning Agencies

cheers gs

mfitzy wrote:

Well in all fairness I think that is quite a drastic step for somebody who (I presume)has never REPS planned before- I mean most of the private consultants I know ould ahve got experience and training in the likes of Teagasc and the Dept before setting consultancies. Some people I know that are REPS planners have Phds in Agricultural/Env related areas and work in REPS;the standard is very high nowadays for planners.

If you have the qualifications and do the REPS course, you are a REPS planner. The standard is very high in REPS now because people are trained as planners and their plans are assessed to make sure they are up to standard.

mfitzy wrote:

Botany and Zoology as 4th year majors; do you really think clients will see those as particularly relevent for going out to do business with farmers!?? First and foremost REPS in reality has a strong commercial element- the environmental stuff comes second; the client wants a high quality plan to drtaw the REPS payments and the Planner wants to get his fee from the farmer- simple as that!

Initially I was talking about Botany and Zoology as being a relevant module of an Env Sc degree to be accepted as a REPS planner. However you saying that they are irrelevant to on the ground REPS plans is also untrue. I accept that REPS needs to put money in the farmers pocket but it also needs to result in real environmental gains, otherwise when it comes to reviewing the Scheme it may not justify the expenditure by the EU/Eire. The new REPS 4 wants greater emphasis on the environment and wants planners to have a greater understanding of wildlife. Thus I think Botany and Zoology are very relevant. For example REPS 4 will include a measure to erect Bird & Bat boxes, having an understanding of where to site these and explain the benefits of these to farmers will be beneficial to a planner.

mfitzy wrote:

I mean the competition is probably very intense amonsgt the various consultants for REPS business and if you can't offer the same time and high level of service as the full-time guys I don't think clients will be in a hurry to do business with you..Hope I'm not being too stark but I think you might be better learn the ropes first before going it alone.

I'm from the south east and at the moment, REPS is at a very low level down here. If all goes to plan a lot more intensive farms should join REPS 4, thus there will be a need for more REPS planners in this region. As I said I'll be a full time farmer, and I think this would appeal to farmers to know that their plan is being drawn up by someone who actually farms. I don't think it is correct to define the level of service by the number of plans drawn, it will be up to the plans to speak for themselves.

maidhc wrote:

My father (who did Ag Science in the 70's and never worked as a "consultant") didn't have any difficulty picking it up pretty much straight away. He has only ever had a handful of local clients, but that was his choosing, he prefers farming to paperwork.

My plan is exactly like Maidhc said his father did. To pick up local clients and combine it with farming. It was also good to hear that his dad had no trouble picking it up.

smccarrick wrote:

What I would advise is hang on until you see what exactly is entailed with REPS 4- as its still under negotiation with the Commission. It is likely to be a lot more work that the previous schemes when it is announced (given the much larger budget). The guidelines will be updated to reflect this in due course.

Well the first thing I need to do is get trained as a REPS 4 planner when the new training commences next year. At least then I will be able to make a choice and draw my own plans or sign up with an existing consultancy. I think planners are in good situation with REPS in that they don't have to invest heavily in resources to get up and running. If I can get trained and start with a few plans for local clients, I can see how much time I wish to commit to being a REPS planner, and take it from there.