Half of farmers open to going organic

Half of farmers (50%) surveyed by the Irish Farmers Journal are open to going organic in the next five years, with 17% saying they are definitely considering it.

While 50% of farmers said they are not considering the move away from conventional farming, the survey results prove promising for the Government’s organic expansion targets.

Farmer interest in organic conversion was strongest among suckler and sheep farmers, with 57% and 64% of those in each sector open to the move over the next five years, respectively.

While 75% of the dairy farmers surveyed gave a hard no to organics, there were still 25% who said they were open to it, with 21% maybe considering conversion and 4% definitely considering.

If applied nationally to the 18,000 dairy farms in Ireland, this means there could be 720 dairy farmers actively exploring their organic conversion prospects. Some 57% of tillage farmers said they are not considering going organic in the next five years, while 43% said they are open to it.

Lack of premium price

A lack of a premium price for organic output was cited as the most significant reason for staying clear of organics, with 42% of farmers surveyed selecting it as a block to conversion.

Thirty-two percent of farmers said they feared that organic farming would lead to lower output and 29% said there would be a higher cost of production.

Sheep farmers surveyed were least concerned about lower output from organics with 20% stating it would be a barrier to conversion, while 41% said they would be concerned about a higher cost of production.

The Organic Farming Scheme (OFS), which saw approximately 2,000 new entrants commence conversion in January 2023, is to open again in October, according to the head of the Department’s organic unit Jack Nolan.