I propose to take Questions Nos. 1960 and 1961 together.
I am fully committed to the development of the organic sector in Ireland. In this regard, I will continue to implement the National Organic Strategy 2019-2025 which sets out ambitious growth targets for the sector by aligning it closely with the market opportunities.
One measure included in the development of the sector budget allocation is the Organic Processing Investment Grant Scheme which provides funding to processors who wish to invest in developing facilities for the processing, preparation, grading, packing and storage of organic products.
The table below outlines the number of participants who received funding from the Organic Processing Grant Scheme, the allocation and the expenditure from 2015 to date so far in 2022.
Year
|
No. of Applicants
|
Allocation
|
Expenditure
|
2015
|
0
|
€750,000
|
€0
|
2016
|
3
|
€470,000
|
€124,156
|
2017
|
5
|
€470,000
|
€85,653
|
2018
|
5
|
€1.2m
|
€46,636
|
2019
|
5
|
€1.2m
|
€133,605
|
2020
|
2
|
€1.2m
|
€299,759
|
2021
|
4
|
€1.2m
|
€500,200
|
2022
|
1
|
€1.2m
|
€127,913
|