Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 March 2022
753. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the targeted number of participants in the organic farm scheme for the years 2022 to 2030; the expected allocation to achieve such; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12560/22]
View answerThe current Programme for Government is committed to aligning Ireland’s organic land area with that of the EU average of 7.5%, which is also consistent with the target proposed by Agri-Food Strategy 2030. I am fully committed to attaining this ambitious goal and all our organic policies are designed with this in mind.
For the year 2022, an additional €5m has been secured in our budget allocation which would facilitate an additional fifty thousand hectares of land under conversion. This would represent an increase of over 50% in the area currently being farmed organically.
For the years 2023 – 2027, I have proposed the allocation of €256m under the new CAP to continue the development and growth of the organic sector. To attain the land area target of 7.5%, an additional 50,000 new hectares will be required every year during the lifetime of the CAP. These are our targets for organic conversion for the years up to 2027, while supports for 2030 will be a matter for a future CAP programme.
While it is possible to provide the estimated number of hectares that can be funded, the number of farmers expected to participate in the scheme will obviously depend on the size of the farms that will be the subject of the applications each year.
However, I am confident that the funding provided this year and the proposed funding under the new CAP will be sufficient to allow all eligible applications to be accepted into the Organic Farming Scheme and I would strongly encourage all farmers from every sector to join.
