Minister of State with responsibility for land use and biodiversity, Pippa Hackett welcomed a proposal today (Friday, September 29) for 10% of food procured by government to be certified as organic.
The proposal is contained in the draft Green Public Procurement Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2027, which opened for public consultation today and will remain open until Friday, November 10.
The proposal outlines that a minimum of 10% of food procured by public sector bodies under new contract arrangements are to be certified organic.
Minister Hackett said: “I have worked closely with my Green Party colleague Minister Ossian Smyth to get government departments and state agencies purchasing more organic and seasonal food, and I am delighted to see this reflected.
“This will be a significant support for the extra organic produce coming to market over the next few years as a result of the huge growth we have seen in organic farming in Ireland.”
Submissions on the draft submission can be made to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.
The proposal sets out information and proposed actions on:
- Policy and legislative context;
- A proposed mandate to accelerate green public procurement implementation;
- A focus on key sectors with associated proposed green public procurement related targets;
- Monitoring and reporting;
- Training and awareness;
- EU and international partnership;
- Market engagement, networks and knowledge sharing;
- Research and innovation;
- Green public procurement strategy and action plan monitoring, evaluation and review.
“I think it will be really interesting to hear farmers’ and processors’ suggestions on the potential for government to marry the organic requirement with the push for more seasonality in the food that public bodies procure.
“There will be times of the year that we can provide organic food more readily, and in much greater supply, and those months might well see much more than 10% organic food in canteens,” Minister Hackett said.