Organic Farm Scheme re-opened to new applicants

IFA Organic Project Team Chair John Curran welcomes the re-opening of the Organic Farm Scheme (OFS) to new entrants. The scheme will close to applicants on Friday, December 8th.

The budget for the OFS has increased again this year to €57 million, up €21 million on the €36 million allocation for 2023. The OFS last re-opened in October 2022 and over 2000 new applicants entered the scheme, doubling the number of organic farms in Ireland.

There are now approximately 180,000 hectares under organic production in Ireland, representing 4% of total agricultural land.

“Ensuring that markets are available for additional organic production and that organic farmers receive a sustainable margin for their produce must be a priority and not the additional land base attracted into the system. We cannot have a situation where the market is saturated for existing farmers, or that any existing premium is lost,” he said

While acknowledging that significant investment has been made on market development this year, it is also imperative that the Government continue to stimulate demand for organic produce in order to ensure there is a proper functioning market for organic farmers.

“The launch of the new organic hub should help to prevent leakage from the system. The role of the hub is to act as a central platform connecting organic farmers and facilitating the buying and selling of organic livestock and produce across the country,” John Curran concluded.

Confirming the opening of the Scheme, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett, said, “I am delighted to formally reopen the new Organic Farming Scheme to new applicants. This Government has a strong vision for organic farming, and the reopening of the scheme is the latest development in what has been a transformational number of years since this Government took office. We anticipate the huge interest among farmers to be reflected in applications to the scheme.

“The current level of interest in organic farming in Ireland is unprecedented. In the last year alone, the number of organic farms has doubled and there has been significant investment made in market development.

“The momentum of the organic sector is now very strongly underpinned by Government policy and supported by state agencies including Teagasc and Bord Bia, as well as the private advisory services in ACA and the Organic Certification Bodies.

"This is a great opportunity for many farmers to maximise sustainability and future-proof their business by reducing their input costs,” Minister Hackett said.