Press release
Minister Hackett announces commencement of over € 6.8 million in Organic Farming Scheme balancing payments
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Senator Pippa Hackett, today announced the commencement of the 2023 balancing payments under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS).
The Minister said:
“Over 85% of farmers in the Organic Farming Scheme are receiving their balancing payments this week. The timely processing of payments is a key priority for my Department. I know how crucial payments are, especially after the difficult winter we have had. Payments will be in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days and my Department will continue to process as a matter of urgency all remaining cases for payment as they meet scheme criteria.”
The Minister further commented:
“I would also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that the Organic Processing Investment Grant scheme is currently open, with a 60% grant rate to invest in processing facilities. By investing in organic processing capacity through this grant scheme, we are investing in the value of the primary producers’ product.”
Concluding, Minister Hackett said:
“The land area in organics has trebled in the last three years. As more and more farmers convert to organics, the economic advantages of farming organically are plain to see. These OFS payments are a key support measure, and I would encourage all farmers to have an open mind about their farming enterprise, to crunch the numbers and consider whether it makes sense for them too to become an organic farmer.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Further information on the OPIG scheme is available at OPIG
To illustrate the increased level of supports a payments calculator has been developed for farmers and is available at Calculator
This calculator displays the value for each farmer of switching to organic farming.
Teagasc have developed a series of new Organic Factsheets to give information to farmers considering organic enterprise options. In addition, a new guide “Organic Farming – A Step-by-Step Guide to Conversion” has been developed and is available on the the Teagasc website.
Ireland's Climate Action Plan has set a target of more than tripling the organic land area by 2030 to approximately 445,000 hectares.
The aim is to reach this target by supporting farmers to convert to organic farming through the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS), enhanced advisory support and increased promotion as well as developing market demand.
For a 40ha drystock farmer total payment over the 5 years of the organic farming scheme is 54% higher than under the previous CAP.
The overall objective of the Organic Farming Scheme is to deliver enhanced environmental and animal welfare benefits and to encourage producers to respond to the market demand for organically produced food.
A total budget of €256 million has been allocated to the OFS over the lifetime of the new CAP Strategic Plan.
The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) is a partnership between society and agriculture that ensures a stable supply of food, safeguards farmers’ income, protects the environment and keeps rural areas vibrant. EU countries implement the CAP at national level with a CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027.
The Organic Farming Scheme is co-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the EU.
For more information, visit www.gov.ie/cap.
The number of organic ewes will treble by 2026 compared to this year and the number of organic suckler cows will double by 2026 compared to this year.