Minister Heydon announces three-year funding of almost €3 million for ten projects to promote the organic sector

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, today announced that ten projects to promote organic production have been awarded total funding of almost €1 million per year for the years 2025, 2026 and 2027.

Minister Heydon said:

Thirty-five applications were received for the call, which has an annual budget of approximately €1 million for the period 2025 to 2027, inclusive. Those who were unsuccessful, or didn’t apply to the call, are encouraged to take time to view the National Enterprise hub, at: https://www.neh.gov.ie/. This is the single source for all government supports for business, including those in the agri sector.

Minister Heydon concluded:

The Organic Academy is a dedicated upskilling initiative that will provide specialised, business-focused training, technical expertise, and market development support to Ireland’s organic sector. It will upskill farmers, processors, and advisors, enhance value-added production, improve supply chain logistics, and drive market expansion.

Plan1 Organise 8 events each year, demonstrating best practice on Grassland Management, Environmental, Organic Cereal & Innovations, Animal Welfare, Soil Fertility & Biology, and Housing & Finishing Organic Livestock, in conjunction with Industry Experts.

Plan 2 is to support a network of discussion groups , new farmers and young farmers to promote Organics & mentor them in early stages of development.

Bord Bia proposes to deliver an Autumn More-ganic campaign to compliment and maximise the annual More-ganic Spring campaign. According to research and marketing experts and working with industry, it is essential that the More-ganic campaign runs twice a year with two large bursts to deliver a positive impact on organic shopper behaviour

Bord Bia will use Bloom to promote organic horticulture and the wider organic sector. Funding will support a show garden to engage consumers with Ireland's organic sector. The show garden will be open to over 100,000 Bloom visitors and promoted to 88% of the Irish population familiar with the event.

Organic Isle is an eight-part high end TV series spread across two series to be broadcast in 2026 and 2027 focusing on inspirational organic producers and rural entrepreneurs through key events in their seasonal year. The project looks at organic production and organic producers in the Irish context and demystifies the processes involved in order to celebrate the practice, the
producers and the produce.

Talamh Beo seeks funding to support organic producers in navigating short distribution channels through three initiatives: a producers guide to navigating Short Food Supply Chains (SFSC), a Mentoring Pilot Program pairing new entrants with experienced mentors, and a Case Study Report on successful producers.

An annual series of events to share practical information on farming
organically, opportunities to sell animals within the organic supply chain and demand for organic beef and sheepmeat. They will focus on
connecting farmers with other farmers and providing clarity on organic market outlets to help address the leakage challenge.

This project will strengthen skills and build capacity in organic horticulture by implementing targeted programmes to develop a skilled workforce and fostering innovation to meet the sector’s evolving needs, through internship opportunities, training and education partnerships, farmer-led knowledge exchange, and exploration of enhanced market opportunities at local and regional level.

This project will strengthen the Irish organic horticulture sector by establishing two key roles dedicated to driving its development. These roles will address critical gaps, provide essential support, coordination and collaboration to ensure that producers can fully capitalize on the opportunities for import substitution presented by the National Organic Strategy.

A three-year initiative to support organic dairy farmers through fair pricing, supply chain security, and market expansion. This project will drive conversion, improve retention, and position organic dairy as a key part of Ireland’s sustainable agricultural transition.