A new initiative involving farmers and processors is being launched to protect the premium on organically-produced beef and lamb.

The Organic Beef and Lamb Innovation Group (OBLIG) is aimed at retaining the value of organic beef and lamb for the farmer and consumer.

OBLIG is being officially launched today (Friday, August 28) by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon.

Ireland's organic production is currently growing notably, with the area of land farmed organically increasing by 223% between 2020 and 2025.

Ireland has a national target of trebling the wholesale value of organic food output to €750 million by 2030, from €200 million in 2023.

OBLIG will be led by ifac, which will deliver the initiative in partnership with Teagasc, the National Organic Training Skillnet (NOTS) and Leitrim Organic Farmers Co-op.

Farmers, finishers, processors and retailers will be part of the initiative, with the aim of "building a stronger future for Ireland's organic beef and lamb".

OBLIG is a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) and is co-funded by the EU and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Part of OBLIG's role will be addressing "structural problems that make it difficult to process organic livestock through organic supply chains".

The organisers of the project said that different parts of the supply chain, including farmers, marts and processors, "often operate in isolation", leading to much of the organically-raised beef and lamb not reaching supermarket shelves labelled as such.

They said that "every animal that is not sold through the organic channel is a lost premium for the farmer and a lost supply for the processor, retailer, and consumer".

The OBLIG initiative is built around five "objectives": reducing "leakage" of organic produce into the conventional supply chain; improving coordination across the supply chain; enhancing collaboration and support among producers; addressing distribution and finishing challenges; and strengthening the market linkages that connect farmers to buyers.

The OBLIG team will focus on addressing the disconnect between weanling and store beef producers in the west and finishing capacity in the midlands, south and east; and the seasonality that leaves processors and retailers short of certified supply for parts of the year.

The team will also work with hill lamb producers and finishers, coordinate activity across participating farmers to extend the season, and engage directly with marts.

OBLIG will use farmer networks, training, capacity building and data to see how the supply chain behaves.

The project aims to "turn a fragmented organic beef and lamb sector into a coordinated, resilient and profitable one".

One group of participating famers is already in place, and OBLIG will recruit a second cohort of farmers throughout 2026, opening the project to more organic beef and lamb producers who want to connect with finishers, processors and retailers.

Commenting on the initiative, Minister Heydon said: "Ireland has had significant success in growing organic farming over the past 5 years.

"For farmers to retain the premium they have earned through their hard work, this growth in production must be matched with a functioning supply chain that brings the food to the consumer and is proudly displayed on supermarket shelves as organic," he added.

"The OBLIG EIP has been set up to develop systems and processes to enable this to happen. By bringing producers, finishers, processors and retailers around the same table, and backing them with training, farmer networks and better information, this project gets to the root of the challenges farmers and processors face." the minister said.

Maura O'Callaghan, OBLIG project manager and food and agribusiness director at ifac, said: "The talent and commitment in Ireland's organic sector has never been in question. What has been missing is coordination; the connections that make sure an organically raised animal reaches the market as organic."