There were 267 recent applications to the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS).

The scheme opened to new applicants on November 19, and closed on December 12.

The OFS provides financial support to farmers to encourage production of organic foods.

Over the last five years, the number of farmers in the OFS has increased by 221% to 5,500.

County breakdown

The counties with the highest number of applications to the OFS were Co. Donegal and Co. Galway, both with 29, data from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine shows.

There were 25 applications from Co. Mayo farmers, and 22 from Co. Kerry.

The county breakdown of applicants is as follows:

EU organics roadmap

The European Commission in recent days delivered a new roadmap.

The commission presented the roadmap for further actions aimed at reviewing additional elements of the organic legal framework, notably the organic secondary legislation.

"The review will focus on specific issues that are considered to represent a burden for farmers and other operators," the commission said.

"It will bring pragmatic solutions and clarity to the sector while maintaining the high standards of this production system."

IFOAM Organics Europe has welcomed the roadmap and its "recognition that organic farming delivers a wide range of socioeconomic and environmental benefits".

Jan Plagge, president of IFOAM Organics Europe, said: "The organic sector welcomes the commission’s balanced approach to further improve the organic regulation and to fix a few legal issues.

"We call on the European Parliament and member states to act swiftly so that the targeted revision of the organic regulation can be concluded in a few months, providing the stability and legal certainty needed by all organic operators. 

"This roadmap is equally important, as addressing implementation challenges primarily through secondary legislation and updated interpretations is the most effective way to ensure that the revision of the basic act remains focused, efficient and free from unnecessary delays."