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All eligible new applicants accepted to Organic Farming Scheme

An additional 1,050 farmers will participate in the Organic Farming Scheme in 2024, bringing the total number of participants to more than 5,000.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Pippa Hackett said that this is a ‘tripling of the area being farmed organically since 2020’.
“These are really significant milestones, and they show that the organic sector in Ireland continues to grow at a significant pace. Many farmers in Ireland are at stocking rates where they can easily replace expensive chemical fertiliser and imported concentrates with multispecies grass and red clover. It takes a high level of skill and understanding of how healthy soil works to trust yourself to farm organically, and Irish farmers are well able for this challenge.”
She said Teagasc is commencing research this year that will set out blueprints for organic beef and lamb production. “I am confident that Bord Bia will continue to open markets for Irish organic produce. Although input prices have fallen, farmers have experienced serious price inflation and bad weather for the last number of years. For those who have not yet made the change, I would urge them to attend one of the many organic farm walks that will take place later this year and see for themselves on the ground how an organic farm works.”