The Department of Agriculture has reopened the Organic Farming Scheme to applications from Wednesday 9 February.

Farmers can apply online to the scheme, which will remain open to new applicants until 8 April 2022.

It is understood that, should this year’s tranche of the scheme be oversubscribed by farmers, the Department will grant priority to certain sectors over others.

Minster of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett has said that the priority entry will be provided to sectors in line with market supply and demand imbalances.

“In the event of the scheme being oversubscribed, I will be prioritising those sectors for which most market demand exists, but I also want to encourage young farmers to convert to organic farming so there is provision in the selection process to achieve this too,” commented Minister Hackett.

In 2021, the Organic Farming Scheme was undersubscribed, with 80 spaces in the scheme left unfilled.

The Department have reminded farmers of the eligibility criteria for acceptance into the organic scheme, which include livestock and tillage farmers farming a minimum of 3ha, being certified by an approved organic farming body and completing an organic conversion training course.

The Irish Farmers Journal has reported that the funding allocated to the Organic Farming Scheme has doubled over the past two years and is set to reach some €50m per year from 2023 onwards, as the Government strives to reach a 7.5% target for the proportion of land farmed organically.

Organic farm walks

Teagasc has also announced a series of organic farm walks for the coming year, run in conjunction with organic organisations and the Department.

Beef, sheep, tillage and poultry farms will feature in the event line-up.

The series will kick off on 2 March on the organic dairy farm of Seamus Howard outside Ennis, Co Clare.

Teagasc has said that the events will afford farmers the opportunity to discuss the conversion to organics with industry experts and certified organic farmers.

Last week, Waterford Institute of Technology launched a masters programme in organic agriculture, as well as a selection of shorter courses intended on equipping organic producers with the skills they need to farm successfully.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett stated that these courses would help the sector reach the targets for organic production laid out in the next CAP.