Vol. 513 No. 6
213 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Denmark has succeeded in drawing down a specific percentage of the agriculture aid due to it to develop organic farming; and the percentage of EU aid due to this country for agriculture which was used specifically to develop the organic sector. [3263/00]
I am aware that Denmark has achieved considerable success in promoting organic farming methods. Support for organic farming in Ireland is available under a number of measures. Under the rural environment protection scheme – REPS – additional payments are available to farmers who undertake organic farming under supplementary measure No. 6. The objective of this measure is to encourage producers in REPS to respond to the market demand for organically produced food. REPS is a voluntary scheme and benefits can only be paid to those who wish to participate in the scheme. To date a total of £461.2 million has been paid to farmers under REPS, of which £5.2 million has been paid to those engaged in organic production.
Grants were available for marketing and processing of organic produce under the Operational Programme for Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry 1994-1999 – OPARDF. Initially, there was limited interest in the numbers wishing to avail of these grants. There has been a progressive increase in applications in recent years and the total grant aid paid to date amounts to almost £370,000. Funding is also available to the organic certification bodies.
214 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development if his attention has been drawn to the fact that new EU organic standards will prohibit the use of compost which contains genetically modified organisms including the manure of animals whose food has contained GMOs; and if he will consult with the organic certification bodies on the impact of this standard while protecting this country from GM based agriculture and food. [3264/00]
Under the Organic Livestock Regulation 1804-99 the use of genetically modified organisms is prohibited for use in organic farming. The three organic certification bodies were notified of this and fully supported such a decision. This rule became effective from the date the regulation was published on 24 August 1999.
