Export markets will be the destination for between 75% and 80% of the organic beef and lamb produced in Ireland over the coming years, according to organic sector output estimations cited by Bord Bia at its annual meat marketing seminar on Friday.

Bord Bia stated that the industry expects the output of the organic sector to rise fourfold for beef and sixfold for sheep by 2030, as the State seeks to meet its target of having 10% of all farmland under organics by then.

The agency’s organic sector manager Emmet Doyle stated that it is predicted that the organic beef production will reach 15,000t by 2030, with the organic lamb to hit 2,500t. Although the number of farmers participating in the Organic Farming Scheme more than doubled since 2021, the two-year conversion period that must be passed before organic certification means that there will be a lag on these farmers’ livestock heading for organic processing.

“What that means for us, is that there is a two-year period before this product comes on stream.

“So, we are looking at 2025 and 2026 for those increased volumes coming through,” Doyle explained.

The sectoral manager added that Bord Bia will unveil its organic export strategy in April 2024, setting out its implementation plan for the next three to five years.