Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 September 2021
801. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he has taken to support the development of domestically certified organic seed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43592/21]
View answerMy Department operates a scheme for the certification of seed according to EU Rules and Standards. The scheme is operated by officials in my Department and is open to all seed growers, including those growing organic seed.
A number of seed assemblers have recently placed contracts with organic seed growers for the production of organic seed and this seed will be made available to organic growers in the future. Only certified seed can be placed on the market and a person/company must be registered with my Department before they can market certified seed. There is no fee to apply for registration, but the applicant must demonstrate that they have the equipment and facilities to process and pack seed to the standards required.
At present there is no distinction in certification standards between conventional and organic seed. The EU Commission and Member States are in the process of preparing legislation to permit the certification of organic seed to a lower standard than that required for conventional seed. There is no timeline for the conclusion of such discussions, but the Commission are actively progressing the proposals, which are expected to apply to both agricultural and vegetable species.
