Agriculture Committee to discuss Organic Farming

The Committee will meet with representatives from the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA), the Irish Organic Association (IOA) and the Organic Growers of Ireland (OGI). The meeting will be in two sessions:

• Session 1 - (15:30 - 16:30) - Representatives from The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA)
• Session 2 - (16:30 - 17:30) - Representatives from The Irish Organic Association (IOA) and the Organic Growers of Ireland (OGI)

Speaking in advance of the meeting, Cathaoirleach, Jackie Cahill TD, said: “The Organic Farming Scheme was implemented by the Department of Agriculture to encourage farmers to produce livestock and crop products according to European Union organic standards. And according to data, there was healthy uptake in the scheme. The Committee and I welcome the opportunity to discuss the challenges and issues with the organic farming and farming bodies and get some insight into the Organic Farming Scheme and if it is working for farmers and other changes that could help encourage more uptake of organic farming in general.”

The Cathaoirleach added: “The Committee welcomes a conversation around the organic sector, where Ireland is placed in the sector and if there are certain areas we should be looking at to make organic farming more sustainable and attractive to traditional frames such as awareness, training and education, policy changes and extra supports.”

The Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

You can view the meeting in Committee Room 3 on the Oireachtas website.

More information can be found on the dedicated Committee Webpage. Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.