Organic Farming Scheme

The Organic Farming Scheme provides financial support to farmers to encourage production of organic foods.

To be eligible for payment you must:

• produce livestock and crop products according to European Union organic standards
• complete an approved training course
• farm and manage the land included in the application
• register with, and be approved as, an organic operator by a private inspection body
• have a minimum farm area of 3 hectares - except for horticultural producers where the minimum farm area is 1 hectare

Partial conversion

Partial conversion of the farm to organic farming is allowed, however:

• if both organic and conventional crops are to be produced, different species of plant, or different varieties that can be easily differentiated at all stages of growth and production, must be used
• if both organic and conventional livestock are to be produced, different species must be involved

You must comply with the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme.

“subject to approval of the Monitoring Committee – any change to the ranking and selection criteria will be communicated via the Department website.

Horticulture Holdings:

Organic horticulture producers, with an organic horticulture area of one hectare or more, are eligible for the following payments provided that at least 50% of the area eligible for organic payment is cropped each year:

Tillage Holdings:

Organic tillage producers, with an organic tillage area of one hectare or more, are eligible for the following payments:

Dairy Holdings:

Dairy producers, with an organic area of three hectares or more, are eligible for the following payments:

Dry Stock (Beef & Sheep) and All Other Holdings:

Applicants with 3 hectares or more of utilisable organic agricultural area are eligible for the following payments:

Participation Payment:

An annual participation payment will be paid to all OFS participants to cover administrative costs which is in addition to the per hectare payment. Both payments will be incorporated into the annual OFS payment. An amount of €2,000 will be paid to OFS participants in the first year of conversion and €1,400 for every subsequent year of the contract. In the case of Registered Farm Partnership’s, the participation payment will be payable to each of the herdowners in the partnership up to a maximum of three.

When calculating the percentage of the area cropped, any area under green manures cannot be included in the calculation.

THE ORGANIC FARMING SCHEME IS CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR NEW APPLICATIONS.

For those who have previously applied, an on-line application for the Basic Income Support Scheme each year will be deemed to be the annual payment claim under the OFS.

To apply online, login or register at www.agfood.ie.

If your login or password are expired and need to be renewed please contact the Department’s helpdesk at 076 1064424. Alternatively, you can authorise an agricultural consultant or Teagasc advisor to apply on your behalf.