Organic farming: 97% rise in queries to advisors

New enhanced-payment-rates under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) have prompted an increase of at least 97% in the number of inquiries on transitioning, agricultural advisors Paul Belton and Thomas Quinn have said.

Both advisors have experienced a surge in the number of queries received at their business based in Granard, Co. Longford, in relation to joining the scheme, following the announcement of increased payment rates which were revealed last month.

Speaking on the latest episode of Farmland, Belton said that the number of inquiries he has received on organic farming lately has increased dramatically:

“A few years ago I think we had four [queries] and I think in the last couple of weeks we could have 150 to 200 farmers looking to join up to this scheme,” he said.

Belton said that he envisages a high uptake of the scheme among beef farmers, who will attempt to manage their system to maximise payments from both the OFS and the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).

“Under ACRES, I think you can plant up to 750m of hedgerow and that would give you about €4,000/year,” he said.

“[In the OFS] if they can get their €300/ha for the first two years with their participation payment of €2,000 in the first year, I can definitely see a lot of interest in the organics.

“If you have the right system and the right floor space, I think you will see a lot of farmers transitioning across.”

Quinn added that the rising price of chemical fertiliser has also been a factor that has encouraged many farmers to consider transitioning to an organic farming system.

The proposed rates, which would come into effect in January 2024 under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), include a participation payment of €2,000 in the first year, which then falls to €1,400 in the following four years.

In addition to this, the scheme outlines higher annual payments per hectare for all sectors. Under the new rates, a 50ha dairy farmer could receive €17,500/year in the first two years of conversion, while the payment for a 50ha drystock farmer could be up to €15,000.

If approved, the following enhanced rates would apply from January 1, 2023:

The enhanced payments come as the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) attempts to triple the area under organics in Ireland by 2027, while the EU Green Deal aims to have 25% of the agricultural area in the EU organically farmed by 2030.

Currently, approximately 110,000ha of EU land is managed organically, which equates to about 2%.

You can watch the full interview with Paul Belton and Thomas Quinn on Farmland, by clicking here.