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The target Government has set to achieve 7.5% organic production in Irish agriculture is “anything but ambitious”, says Sinn Féin.
The party’s agriculture spokesperson Matt Carthy TD was critical of the Irish target of 7.5%, as the European Union has set a target of 25% and many other EU countries are already making headway towards this goal.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Carthy said: “I think our target is below what the EU average currently is. So, I do think it is possible for Ireland to have a more ambitious approach to organics.
"I think direct payments to farmers who transition to organics is an important element, but the Government are missing two key other areas.”
Sinn Féin approach
The Sinn Féin TD called for a portion of Bord Bia’s budget to be ringfenced for expenditure on the marketing and promotion of Irish organic produce.
“The second thing is in relation to Government procurement. We believe that any area where Irish Government departments or Irish taxpayers are funding the procurement of food, that a proportion of that should be again ringfenced for the purchase of Irish organic produce,” he said.
Carthy claimed these two areas, “coupled with the direct supports to farmers”, could “actually see an exponential rise in the use of organics”.
“That’s a win-win for everybody because the farmers who are engaging will be making money from it.
"They’ll also be assisting us in reaching our climate action obligations and we will also be ensuring that we have a healthier purchasing policy within each Government department.
“So, it means, for example, if someone is eating in an Irish hospital, they’ll know they are eating local, organically produced food and all the benefits that accrue from that,” he said.
Spending
The Department of Agriculture has allocated €256m for organic farming under Pillar II of the CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
The investment represents a 500% increase in funding for organics, an average of €50m a year, up from the previous €10m.
Last week, the Department of Agriculture confirmed that some 336 new applicants who applied to the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) earlier this year have been approved, adding 16,000 new hectares of land farmed organically in Ireland.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett also confirmed that the new OFS opens for applications in early October and will remain open until end of November.
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