Farmers are being reminded that the deadline for the submission of applications for the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) falls in two weeks.
The scheme is due to remain open for applications from all sectors until Friday, November 29, 2024.
All applications to join the scheme must be submitted online through the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) agfood portal by the applicant or his/her advisor.
The department has said that there will a contract start date of January 1, 2025.
Scheme
The minimum organic farm area required to participate in the OFS is 3ha, except for horticultural producers where the minimum organic farm area required is 1ha.
The department will consider horticulture applications of less than 1ha where accounts are provided by the applicant to show they are managing a commercial enterprise.
Partial conversion of a holding is allowed under the OFS, which may be an option for farmers with different enterprises.
However, the department noted that certain conditions apply in cases of partial conversion of a farm.
In order to be eligible for an OFS payment a farmer must produce livestock and/or crops according to European Union organic standards covering environment, public, animal and plant health and animal welfare.
Farmers undergo an inspection annually to ensure that they are in compliance with these standards.
Along with registering with the DAFM Organic Unit, applicants will need to register with, and be approved as, an organic operator by an organic certification body (OCB), such as the Irish Organic Association (IOA) and the Organic Trust.
Applicants will also need to hold an organic licence on or before date of submission of OFS application or at the latest hold a licence from the commencement date of their scheme contract.
Farmers in the OFS must attend a 25-hour training course in their first year farming organically.
Organic farming
According to the DAFM, the area farmed organically has tripled since 2020, while the number of organic farms has more than doubled in the last two years .
Earlier this year, 1,050 additional farmers joined the Organic Farming Scheme meaning that the land area farmed organically is approximately 225,000ha (5%) with over 5,000 farmers in the scheme.
Under Ireland’s Climate Action Plan there is a target of 10% of the country’s land area to be farmed organically by 2030.
The budget for organics was increased to €256 million in Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan, with increased payments on offer for farmers.
An annual participation payment of €2,000 will also be paid to OFS participants in the first year of conversion and €1,400 for every subsequent year of the contract.