Nineteen more Offaly farmers embrace the organic way

Welcoming the news, Junior Agriculture Minister Pippa Hackett said: “I would like to welcome all our new organic farmers, and to assure them that I will continue to work tirelessly for the success of the sector as we continue to grow. To those new entrants from Offaly, a special welcome: It’s a step myself and my husband took over 10 years ago and while it’s a learning curve we don't regret it for a minute.”

“These additional 1,050 farmers (nationally) will mean we have over 5,000 participants in the Organic Farming Scheme in 2024, and a tripling of the area being farmed organically since 2020. These are really significant milestones, and they show that the organic sector in Ireland continues to grow at a significant pace.”

“Many farmers in Ireland are at stocking rates where they can easily replace expensive chemical fertiliser and imported concentrates with multispecies grass and red clover. It takes a high level of skill and understanding of how healthy soil works to trust yourself to farm organically, and Irish farmers are well able for this challenge.”

Minister Hackett concluded: “Teagasc is commencing research this year which will set out blueprints for organic beef and lamb production, and I am confident that Bord Bia will continue to open markets for Irish organic produce. Although input prices have fallen, farmers have experienced serious price inflation and bad weather for the last number of years. For those who have not yet made the change, I would urge them to attend one of the many organic farm walks that will take place later this year and see for themselves on the ground how an organic farm works.”

The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a partnership between society and agriculture that ensures a stable supply of food, safeguards farmers’ income, protects the environment and keeps rural areas vibrant. EU countries implement the CAP at national level with a CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027.

The Organic Farming Scheme is an agri-environment measure under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan which is co-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the EU. For more information, visit www.gov.ie/cap

Ireland's Climate Action Plan has a target of 10% of land area farmed organically by 2030. The aim is to reach this target by supporting farmers to convert to organic farming through the Organic Farming Scheme, enhanced advisory support and increased promotion, as well as developing market demand.

This latest tranche of the Organic Farming Scheme means the land area farmed organically will now be approximately 225,000 ha (5%) with over 5,000 farmers. The area farmed organically has tripled since 2020.

Climate Action Plan 2024 is the third annual update to Ireland’s Climate Action Plan 2019. This plan is the second to be prepared under the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Act 2021 and following the introduction of economy-wide Carbon Budgets and Sectoral Emissions Ceilings. The implementation of the Climate Action Plan will create jobs, new economic opportunities and protect people and the planet. You can view Climate Action Plan 2024 and its annex of actions here .

A total of 1,200 farmers applied for the Organic Farming Scheme last September. Of these, 130 are ineligible to participate, twenty were previously in the OFS and their contracts have expired, and 1,050 are new organic farmers. Organic Farmers must attend a 25-hour training course in their first year farming organically, submit a BISS application form annually, and comply with organic standards.