Positive change has occurred within Irish organics, but challenges remain

When the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) was first introduced in 2021, Irish Country Living explored the Irish organic landscape and found a number of serious challenges facing the sector.

The scheme was introduced by Government with the initial goal to increase Irish land farmed organically to 7.5% (when the scheme was introduced, land being farmed organically was sitting at less than 2%).

This happened in accordance to the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy, which is an important facet of the European Green Deal. Among the strategy’s aims to make European food systems more sustainable and equitable is the goal to increase organically farmed land to 25% by the year 2030.

At the time, existing Irish organic farmers were operating with little to no support. The most reliable source of information for farmers was through the two organic certification bodies: the Irish Organic Association and the Organic Trust.

There was minimal peer-reviewed research on organic farming, limited market research from Bord Bia, and most Teagasc advisors were untrained in organic systems.

Now, just three years later, the scheme has seen success and positive changes have taken place, largely thanks to stakeholder buy-in and Government investment.

After a successful 2024 iteration, the OFS will reopen in October or November of this year and the Organic Trust will be hosting the first-ever National Organic Food Fair, which will take place in Dublin from 31 August to 1 September.

The percentage of land being farmed organically in 2021 has risen to approximately 5% and the original goal of 7.5% by 2030 has been increased to 10%.

The questions remain though. Can we keep this forward momentum going? Can we continue to support the many farmers who have converted or are currently in conversion and solve the sector issues which still remain?

And how can we help farmers avoid organic leakage (when organic produce is sold via conventional streams and the farmer misses out on the organic premium)?

Significant changes

Stephen Connolly, CEO of certification body the Organic Trust, believes any sector challenges can be overcome.

He says the positive changes within the sector are significant, but the most important has been the creation of the Organic Strategy Forum in 2022, which brought 23 sector stakeholders together.

“[Sector decisions] were happening in silos before, but now we’re all in one room,” he explains. “Now, when we’re making a plan, it’s a plan for the whole sector.”

The forum is Government-led and includes processors, the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), and researchers, among others. Their latest strategy has been finalised and will soon be launched, Stephen says.

He believes things are moving in the right direction, also commenting on the creation of the digital Organic Trading Hub, which is a one-stop-shop for anything organic farming related in Ireland.

“Whoever is buying or selling can do that through the hub; there is information on upcoming events, and it is going to be continuously developed over the years to become a real source of education and training,” he adds.

“Before, the farmer on the ground didn’t have many resources available. Now, they still have us [certification bodies], but they have all these other supports in place, as well.”

After the first iteration of the OFS, the Organic Trust’s membership increased by over 107%, more than doubling their base overnight.

The 2024 OFS saw 1,000 new farmers being accepted, bringing the overall area of in-conversion or organically farmed land in Ireland to 225,000 hectares (and a total of 5,000 farmers).

Benefits to farmers

Stephen says many farmers had already done their research and were ready to convert – the Government support was the missing piece of the puzzle.

Others have been driven to convert by circumstance as prices on farm inputs increased.

He is also aware that some farmers chose to convert solely for potential financial gain. As a variety of farmers went into conversion, certification bodies also had to adjust their approach to meet their wider range of needs.

“There is more to going organic than just stopping fertiliser use,” he says. “We did have to bring some farmers along the way with more information sessions and supports.

“But what we discovered is, fairly quickly, these farmers saw the benefits of going organic,” he adds. “They’re the ones we see on farm walks today saying, ‘This is after working well for me – what should I do next?’”

To date, the majority of farms going into conversion have been sheep and beef with 2024 OFS tranche payments of around €300 per hectare (and a maximum of €800) depending on farm, type of enterprise and whether the applicant is in conversion or certified organic.

To date, dairy, horticulture and tillage enterprises have been less likely to enter the scheme.

Success story of CAP

Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Pippa Hackett, has been leading the charge for organics in Ireland since the OFS was introduced.

Speaking with Irish Country Living, she says she is “extremely proud” of what has been achieved in the Irish organic sector.

“I really believe organic farming is the success story of the new CAP [Common Agricultural Policy],” she states. “We have come from having very little advisory support and no research to having first class advisors in Teagasc and the ACA [Agricultural Consultants Association], and a new organic research farm in Johnstown Castle.

“Trebling the area farmed from 1.6% to 5% of utilisable agricultural area since 2022 shows we are really on the right track. We also know that, by 2026, we will have doubled beef production and trebled sheep production.”

Minister Hackett, herself an organic farmer, says a huge part of meeting existing challenges head-on will come from listening to farmers on the ground.

“Even this summer, we again hear calls for a fodder support scheme and winter seems to have lasted for over a year,” she says.

“We need to keep making the information available to farmers that using clover, multispecies [swards], lime and good grassland management are all key parts of organics, and farmers can trust themselves and are well able to grow grass without expensive inputs and using expensive credit.

“Aside from opening the scheme again later this year, we need continued investment in research, marketing and farm advisory services,” she adds.

“We also need to help organic farmers connect in the marketplace, so we will continue with initiatives like the Organic Trading Hub I launched last year in response to a need identified by the sector itself.”

Minister Hackett says the investment in organics are now “stitched” into Government policy.

“We have seen that when farmers have the choice of continuing in organics or going back to buying expensive chemical fertiliser, over 95% choose to stay organic. Our main competitive advantage in Irish farming is growing grass, and we can do this so well in an organic system – as long as we mind our soil.”

Concerns remain

John Fitzpatrick has been farming organically in Abbeyleix, Co Laois for nearly two decades, and three years ago he moved from beef into organic dairying.

He is also the chair of the IFA Organics Project Team and has been involved in the Organic Strategy Forum and their soon-to-be-launched strategy for up to 2027.

He says the IFA is delighted to be involved and they look forward to continue working with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s (DAFM) Organic Unit to help ensure that organic farming in Ireland remains a viable option.

However, as a farmer, he is all-too-aware of the challenges that will face the sector?.

“As more farmers come on board after their two-year conversion period is up, there will be that extra product available – will we have the market for it?” he asks.

“The bottom line is the farm gate price. In my view, there should be a clear line between conventional and organic price. In recent years it seems to be getting nearer and nearer. For productive organic farms, if there isn’t a clear price margin, why would you bother?”

John enjoys farming organically and believes demand for their product exists, but also believes the sector could easily become over-subscribed.

Organic dairying in particular has been challenging, with rules and limitations keeping farmers from being able to build up an organic herd easily and feed and milk replacer costs being huge.

He says organic leakage is still a problem which leaves organic farmers at a competitive disadvantage, while the overall viability of organic farming has lessened in recent years.

“It’s a niche market, and I would be worried of our markets being flooded,” he says.

“Now with our PGI beef (the new distinction for Irish grass-fed beef) and other methods of regenerative farming, organics has competition.

"Those farms don’t have to operate under the same terms and conditions that we do in organics, and I think our rules could do with being revisited and relaxed a bit to keep organics competitive.

“Years ago, there used to be a 20% margin in selling organic beef and today that’s halved,” he adds.

“The sheep end of things is very volatile and there should be more opportunities and incentives for the horticulture side of things. If they want organic to still be here in ten years’ time, they need to make changes to make sure that happens.”

Next week, Irish Country Living discusses Teagasc-led research and speaks to an organic consultant working with the ACA.

Concerns

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