The Department of Agriculture will host a conference, titled “Commercial Market Opportunities in Organic Vegetable Production 2025 - Field Scale and Protected Cropping', later this month.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon and Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae made the announcement with the event to take place at the Department’s facilities in Backweston, Co Kildare, on Monday 17 February 2025.
Minister Heydon said that this event highlights the growing opportunities in the organic vegetable sector and shows the training and financial supports that are available to growers.
“The event will be a unique one-stop opportunity for anyone interested in diversifying their holding to engage with leading sectoral experts and, importantly, to hear about market opportunities from those within the sector,” he said.
“The opportunities for diversification for existing conventional growers, as well as the prospects for new growers, will be dealt with.”
Conference
The event will have speakers from organic growers, key buyers, National Organic Training Skillnet, Teagasc, the Agricultural Consultant’s Association, Organic Growers of Ireland and Department staff.
The aim of the conference is to hear from existing growers about the practical requirements of growing vegetables and to allow buyers to outline the opportunities that exist to replace imports with Irish-grown vegetables.
The afternoon session will allow attendees to talk one-to-one with all the experts attending on the day.
Registration is through the National Organic Training Skillnet website.
Organic production
Currently, 70% of the organic vegetables purchased in Ireland are imported.
The national organic strategy builds on the aims of the horticulture strategy for import substitution and there is a target to reduce imports of organic vegetables to less than 50% by 2030.
Minister Healy-Rae added that this is a valuable opportunity for families and growers in the organic farming sector to understand new opportunities and develop skills to profit from organic horticulture.
“The event brings together experienced experts in the organic sector and I would encourage farm families and growers to avail of this opportunity and gain the knowledge to grow valuable cash crops on their farms.”
Read more
President's address: feeding people while protecting the environment
Is Céide wheat making a Mayo comeback?
Storm Éowyn: vegetable growers who ‘lost everything’ left with big repair costs
From niche to mainstream – the evolution of organics
The Department of Agriculture will host a conference, titled “Commercial Market Opportunities in Organic Vegetable Production 2025 - Field Scale and Protected Cropping', later this month.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon and Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae made the announcement with the event to take place at the Department’s facilities in Backweston, Co Kildare, on Monday 17 February 2025.
Minister Heydon said that this event highlights the growing opportunities in the organic vegetable sector and shows the training and financial supports that are available to growers.
“The event will be a unique one-stop opportunity for anyone interested in diversifying their holding to engage with leading sectoral experts and, importantly, to hear about market opportunities from those within the sector,” he said.
“The opportunities for diversification for existing conventional growers, as well as the prospects for new growers, will be dealt with.”
Conference
The event will have speakers from organic growers, key buyers, National Organic Training Skillnet, Teagasc, the Agricultural Consultant’s Association, Organic Growers of Ireland and Department staff.
The aim of the conference is to hear from existing growers about the practical requirements of growing vegetables and to allow buyers to outline the opportunities that exist to replace imports with Irish-grown vegetables.
The afternoon session will allow attendees to talk one-to-one with all the experts attending on the day.
Registration is through the National Organic Training Skillnet website.
Organic production
Currently, 70% of the organic vegetables purchased in Ireland are imported.
The national organic strategy builds on the aims of the horticulture strategy for import substitution and there is a target to reduce imports of organic vegetables to less than 50% by 2030.
Minister Healy-Rae added that this is a valuable opportunity for families and growers in the organic farming sector to understand new opportunities and develop skills to profit from organic horticulture.
“The event brings together experienced experts in the organic sector and I would encourage farm families and growers to avail of this opportunity and gain the knowledge to grow valuable cash crops on their farms.”
Read more
President's address: feeding people while protecting the environment
Is Céide wheat making a Mayo comeback?
Storm Éowyn: vegetable growers who ‘lost everything’ left with big repair costs
From niche to mainstream – the evolution of organics
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: