Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 July 2018
525. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of a 5% increase in subsidies to existing and new participants on the organic farming scheme for produce in cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes and other non-livestock based outputs. [32164/18]
View answerThe Organic Farming Scheme(OFS) is currently closed for new applications. The annual allocation for this Scheme is €10.5 million. Based on current participation, which incorporates all enterprise types, the estimated cost of a 5% increase in OFS payments would equate to €525,000 per annum. As OFS participants engage in mixed farming which include the non-livestock enterprises mentioned, it is difficult to establish a definitive figure specific to the crops named.
While the Scheme is closed for new applications, existing participants have the option to diversify if they so wish to non-livestock enterprises and to increase their holdings to accommodate any such new enterprise.
