Sixmilebridge Co-op Mart in Co. Clare, hosted an organic information meeting on earlier this month, which had over 60 farmers in attendance.
The event took place ahead of Sixmilebridge Mart’s inaugural organic cattle sale which is set to take place on Saturday (April 1) and was held to inform organic farmers of different organic practices.
Mart manager Joseph Clune and Sixmilebridge Mart chairperson Andrew Dundass welcomed the crowd to the information meeting.
Clune said: “Sixmilebridge Mart was set up to serve the needs of the farmers in this area. Many of our farmer members recently converted their farms to organic systems expressed a desire for us to host an organic cattle sale.”
Some of the speakers and topics of discussion on the night included:
- Reducing use of dosage products: John Noonan, Teagasc organic advisor;
- Veterinary regulations for organic farmers: Irish Organic Association speaker;
- Paperwork involved for organic famers selling animals: Organic Trust speaker;
- Organic market outlook: Emmet Doyle, Organic Sector manager, Bord Bia.
Organic advisor with Teagasc, John Noonan, outlined the importance of using Faecal Egg Counts (FEC) as a way of reducing the quantities of dosing products required on organic cattle and sheep farms.
Detailing the steps involved in taking of FEC samples and interpreting the results, he said: “There are a lot of dosing products being used on Irish farms and using FEC samples is a great way of allowing farmers to reduce the usage of these products and to target them where they are needed most.”
Emer Walsh from the Organic Trust outlined the procedure for selling organic cattle through an organic mart and went through the details required on the livestock sales declaration form.
She explained: “When selling an animal through an organic sale, the livestock declaration form must accompany the blue card to allow full traceability of the animal back to its farm of origin and to allow the recording of any veterinary inputs in the previous 12 months.”
George Shinnors of the Irish Organic Association (IOA) went through the requirements for organic farmers to keep detailed records of all inputs brought on to their farms.
In particular, he emphasised the importance of involving a vet when completing the Animal Health plan to ensure that animal welfare was not comprised in any way.
The final speaker on the night was the newly appointed Organic Sector manager of Bord Bia, Emmet Doyle.
He said: “The market for Irish organic produce is strong at the moment and results from a national representational survey completed in February 2023, shows that 95% of all shoppers have said they will continue or increase the amount they are spending on organic produce over the next 12 months and this is particularly strong in the 18 – 44 age bracket.”