Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Senator Pippa Hackett has today (Wednesday, May 31) announced the development of a new national strategy for the organic food and drink sector.
The new strategy will set out a plan for the sector until 2030 and will replace the current strategy which is due to run until 2025.
The new plan, which will be drawn up by the Organic Strategy Forum, will focus on market development, current challenges and the future potential of the organic sector.
There are 24 members of the forum which is chaired by former Bord Bia director turned consultant, Padraig Brennan.
The forum includes representatives from the farming and food processing sector; retailers; processors; organic certification bodies; and state agencies, including Bord Bia and Teagasc.
Strategy
Minister Pippa Hackett said that the Organic Forum has been tasked with developing the new strategy and presenting it to government in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024.
“There will be an opportunity for public consultation during the development of the strategy and I look forward to the input of all our stakeholders.
“It is critical that the new five-year national strategy capitalises on the gains of the previous years and ensures organics continues to be a viable option for Irish farmers.”
The minister added that the government has “the highest level of ambition for the Irish organic sector“.
“We’ve put in place the biggest supports for organic farming in Ireland with a five-fold increase in the organic farming scheme budget.
“This has already led to a rapid expansion of the Irish organic sector with a doubling of organic farmers in the last 12 months. This growth will continue as we open the scheme again to new entrants,” Hackett said.
Padraig Brennan, chairperson of the Organic Forum, said that he is looking forward to developing “an ambitious strategy to deliver a highly co-ordinated organic supply chain”.
“With significant growth anticipated in Irish organic supplies it is timely to review the organic sector strategy to ensure the right supports are in place to optimise the value of the Irish organic food sector in the period to 2030,” he said.