The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that Mayo was the county with the highest number of applications for the latest round of the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS).
In total, 1,204 OFS applications were made across the country by the deadline which was extended to December 15.
The original closing date for applications had been December 8, but Minister of State at the DAFM Pippa Hackett said that she had listened to requests from farmers and advisers for extra time.
Organic Farming Scheme
A spokesperson for DAFM told Agriland that by the revised deadline it had received 143 applications on behalf of farmers in Co. Mayo for the Organic Farming Scheme.
Donegal was the county with the second-highest number of applications at 142, followed by Galway with 125 and Kerry at 107.
The county with the lowest number of applications was Louth with 7, followed by counties Dublin and Waterford with 8 applications each.
The following table provides a county-by-county breakdown for the number of applications made to DAFM under the latest round of the scheme:
CountyOrganic Farming Scheme applications Carlow 10 Cavan 60 Clare 78 Cork 93 Donegal 142 Dublin 8 Galway 125 Kerry 107 Kildare 9 Kilkenny 14 Laois 12 Leitrim 46 Limerick 27 Longford 20 Louth 7 Mayo 143 Meath 21 Monaghan 12 Offaly 22 Roscommon 75 Sligo 59 Tipperary 41 Waterford 8 Westmeath 21 Wexford 17 Wicklow 27 Total 1,204
The government has set a target to reach 10% of land farmed organically by 2030 which is supported by an enhanced budget for organics of €256 million in Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan.
Under the OFS, drystock farmers could qualify for yearly payments of up to €300/ha during the conversion period and up to €250/ha “when they have achieved “full organic status”.
Higher payment rates are also available for organic horticultural and tillage farmers.
In addition, an annual participation payment of €2,000 in the first year of conversion and €1,400 per year has been introduced to support organic farmers.
The Irish organic sector has experienced a large influx of new farmers in recent years, with over 4,000 farmers now farming organically – including just over 2,000 who entered conversion in January 2023.
The department said that the latest application figures are approximate “as no checks have taken place”.
“Applications will be reviewed and assessed, and the department aims to inform farmers early in the new year whether or not they will be accepted to join the scheme,” the DAFM spokesperson added.