Over 1,200 farmers have attended the National Organic Beef Open Day on the farm of beef farmer John Purcell in Co. Tipperary earlier this week, according to Teagasc.
The open day provided farmers with the opportunity to see farm practices on Purcell’s organic beef farm in Ross, Golden, Cashel, Co. Tipperary on Wednesday (September 28).
Opening the forum at the organic beef open day, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said the organic sector in Ireland has a very exciting and unique future.
“Our programme for government has a target of 7.5% of all agricultural land farmed organically by 2030, and this is a very achievable target and one we are committed to reaching.
“We are going to provide €256 million in funding over the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) period, which is a fivefold increase in organic payments from what the last CAP would have had,” according to Minister McConalogue.
The National Organic Beef Open Day was jointly organised by Teagasc, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), and Bord Bia.
John Purcell’s farm
John Purcell took over the running of the farm from his late father Michael Purcell in 1997, and converted the farm to organic one year later and continued with the beef model.
The overall farm operation of 950ac consists of owned and leased land, and the farm all together produces over 1,000 finished beef cattle per annum for the market.
The farm walk as part of the National Organic Beef Open Day took place on a 500ac block, according to Teagasc.
Purcell’s farm produces most of the winter feed for the operation and houses 600 cattle during the winter months. Combination crops and clover-grass swards are grown as part of the winter-feeding system.
However, the farm does not exclusively focus on beef production as Purcell also has incorporated biodiversity corridors and habitats on his land.
Over 10,000 trees have been planted on the farm in the last three years to sequester carbon, and the beef farmer is planning to achieve carbon-neutral status by 2025, according to Teagasc.