70% of the organic vegetables currently bought by Irish shoppers are imported into the country, an agronomist and horticultural consultant has said.
John Hogan made the comment at the recent BioFarm 2024 conference as he outlined the opportunities and challenges for Irish organic horticulture producers.
A member of the horticultural board of Bord Bia, John has also represented the vegetable sector in the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) Horticulture Action Group.
In response to a parliamentary question, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue recently confirmed that over €400 million worth of vegetables were imported into the country last year.
Organic vegetables
In 1980, Ireland had almost 1,300 commercial horticulture growers in the country, today that figure stands at less than 270 growers.
Although the number of growers had dropped at a “phenomenal rate”, Hogan said that the sector has not lost a huge amount in terms of acres or hectares in that period.
He said that a drop in acreage in the past two years could be mainly attributed to growers’ ability to produce better quality crops and higher yields.
When it comes to organic vegetable production, Hogan believes that there are “hugely exciting times ahead”.
“There’s a lot of deficit in the marketplace at the minute. We’re far too reliant in the vegetable business on importing from England, Holland, Belgium, Spain and sometimes, Italy,” he said.
In 2020, fruits and vegetables accounted for 41% of organic sales, which Hogan said demonstrates the scope for growth for Irish growers.
Under the National Organic Strategy, there is a target to reduce imports of organic vegetables to less than 50% by 2030.
Hogan said that there are up to 500 organic growers currently in Ireland, with the vast majority of those producing small amounts of product.
He highlighted that there are 13 growers on larger plots, totalling 141ha, including one producing vegetables and potatoes on a farm over 60ha.
Hogan told the conference that there are opportunities for new and existing growers, but there is a real need to co-ordinate the market better.
He added that more education is needed for consumers when it comes to the seasonality of food, nutrition and shorter food chains.
Opportunities and challenges
The conference heard there are a range of crops with “further opportunities” in the Irish organic market, including: carrots; potatoes; broccoli; cabbage; onions; parsnips; swedes; celery and cauliflower.
When it comes to organic potatoes, Hogan said there are gaps in the retail market for earlies (July-September), baby, salad and bakers.
“The three largest growers in Ireland account for 60ha, it’s my firm opinion that we could easily grow another 60ha of potatoes to fill the market,” he said.
Hogan said that “the biggest stumbling block” for the expansion of the organic horticulture sector is the availability of land.
“I’ve growers at the moment who grow a lot of carrots and potatoes who say they could grow more, they have the market, but they don’t have the land,” he said.
He highlighted the possibility of landowners leasing land to large established growers as an option.
Hogan also urged new and existing growers to have “synergies” when it comes to sharing expertise and equipment, adding what the sector needs is “sincere, long-term commitment”.
“New growers and people with land, you should commit long term, if you can. This is one of the things that has been the problem for us with the retail industry,” he said.
The conference heard that the availability and cost of labour also poses a huge challenge for growers.
When it comes to the problem of weeds on organic farms, Hogan said there are “tremendous strides” being made in this area, including the development of autonomous weeding machines.