The use of synthetic chemicals, fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides are all prohibited in organic production systems as outlined in EU Organic Regulations. Organic farm management practices such as crop rotations are an essential part of successful organic production to help maintain soil fertility, reduce weeds, pests and disease.
Analysis by my Department has found that with the elimination of chemical N fertiliser and associated management changes, the level of climatic benefits derived from the conversion to organic farming is a reduction of approximately 1,000 tonnes CO2eq/annum for every 1,000ha converted based on an average conventional suckler farming system converting to organic farming. The savings would be slightly higher if a dairy farm was to convert to organic farming.
For 2022, a budget of €21 million has been allocated for the Organic Farming Scheme, an increase of €5 million from the previous year. This budget will support the maintenance of the existing contracts and allow for an additional 50,000 hectares of land under conversion. On average, the current cost to support the transition of conventional land to fully organic over the two-year conversion period is €440,000 for every 1000 hectares.
For years 2023-2027, under the new CAP, an allocation of €256 million in funding has been proposed, which is a five-fold increase compared to the previous CAP period. This proposed allocation will facilitate increased payment rates for each sector to support the maintenance and conversion to Organic Farming. The annual budget for each year under CAP is yet to be determined.
I am fully committed to the development and growth of the organic sector. The current Programme for Government is committed to achieving the target of 7.5% of utilisable agricultural area under organic production in Ireland, which is also consistent with the target proposed by Agri-Food Strategy 2030.
All our organic policies are designed with this in mind, and I believe that the increase in funding in the coming years will attract strong numbers of new entrants to the organic farming sector.
