Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine, Martin Heydon described the event as ‘a unique one-stop opportunity for anyone interested in diversifying their holding to engage with leading sectoral experts’. The opportunities for diversification for existing conventional growers, as well as the prospects for new growers, will be dealt with, he said.
The National Strategy for Horticulture 2023-2027 was published in 2023, and aligns with, and delivers on, a specific action in Food Vision 2030 by providing a road map for the horticulture industry to ensure the future economic, social and environmental sustainability of this crucial sector. Seventy per cent of the organic vegetables currently purchased in Ireland are imported. The National Organic Strategy builds on the aim of the Horticulture Strategy for import substitution, and there is a target to reduce imports of organic vegetables to less than 50 per cent by 2030. The purpose of this conference, according to the DAFM, is to hear from existing growers about the practical requirements of growing vegetables, and to allow buyers to outline the opportunities that exist to replace imports with Irish-grown vegetables. The afternoon session will allow attendees to talk one-to-one with all the experts attending on the day.
‘Commercial Market Opportunities in Organic Vegetable Production 2025 – Field Scale and Protected Cropping' takes at the DAFM’s facilities in Backweston, Co. Kildare on Monday, February 17.