Twenty years a growning organically

Joseph Finke arrived in Co Tipperary 22 years ago with a dream to develop Irish organic farming. In the meantime, he has seen the industry, and his business, thrive, writes Ray Ryan, Agribusiness Correspondent.

PEOPLE did not really know what to make of Joseph Finke when he and some other Germans came to live in South Tipperary 22 years ago and began to develop organic farming.

But he is now hailed as a pioneer of Irish organic food production and a respected authority on the sector in this country and abroad.

Regarded as the Richard Branson of organics, he had a marketing and product development career in Germany, but always wanted to be a farmer, producing quality food.

Achieving that aim in his native country during what was still the Cold War era, with roaring military jets, deployed cruise missiles, increasing urbanisation and growing pollution, was impossible.

“I’m an environmental refugee,” he said, after settling at Ballybrado House, outside Cahir, Co Tipperary, to begin an exciting adventure that overcame initial scepticism in Ireland to achieve success.

The organic sector in Ireland today is still small in relation to agriculture as a whole.

But it has grown dramatically since Joseph Finke began farming in the valley between the Knockmealdown and Galtee mountains.

At present there are just over 1,000 operators in Ireland and some 30,000 hectares of land under organic production methods, which represents less than 1% of the agricultural land area in Ireland.

The Irish organic market is estimated to be worth e40 million of the total retail food market, and it is growing at nearly 10% a year.

That growth is likely to continue for some time.

Observers say that Joseph Finke has made a big contribution to raising public awareness, developing markets for produce and preserving standards of organic agriculture in Ireland.

Ballybrado is today a recognised brand name for a range of organic products including biscuits, snacks and woollen garments, as well as flour and oat flakes from its own mill.

Good Herdsmen, a second company he formed, supplies organic Angus beef and lowland lamb to Ireland’s leading multiples and buying groups, and also markets its products in the British, French and Belgian markets.

It represents the production of some 200 farmers and has a new €1.5 million dedicated organic meat processing plant and distribution centre just outside Cahir.

There is also an organic food shop.

Good Herdsmen has grown into the biggest supplier of organic beef and lamb in Ireland, with John Purcell, an expert on the products, having joined Joseph Finke as a director in the company.

Consumers can also buy organic foods such as vegetables, cheese, bread, juice, chocolates and pasta on line from www.ballybrado.com in a distribution initiative supported by organic farmers, growers and processors countrywide.

It is all far removed from the early days in Ballybrado, when Joseph Finke, now 56, discovered there wasn’t any market for organic produce in Ireland.

But he never gave up hope that one day there would be such an outlet.

The mindset of the Irish regarding organics began to change after BSE became a problem in cattle, and food health scares emerged. A turning point in Irish organic agriculture had been reached.

Supermarkets became interested in organic food, which were given a higher profile on their shelves.

People began to take note and were willing to pay that little extra for naturally grown produce.

Today, Joseph Finke’s name goes hand in hand with organic production. His enterprises employ some 15 people and he remains as passionate about the quality of the food that people eat and how it is produced.

His decision to set up a one-stop online organic shop last year reflects his vision and energy.

“I felt the organic producers were not really getting a fair chance and they were too limited by the existing structures in the retail trade,” he said.

“I felt it was a little bit like being part of a relay run in the Olympics.

You have the farmer, the processor, the retailer and the consumer. But if one of them is not running properly all four of them have lost.

“That was why I felt the organic sector must involve itself more in getting the goods to the consumer. As producers, we are the natural authority to talk about the product to the consumer.

“I started the online organic Ballybrado direct shop. Now consumers can buy on that website a full range of organic produce and these will be delivered to their home,” he said.

SHEEP have always been part of the Ballybrado farm and Joseph Finke was also keen to do something with organic wool.

His difficulty was finding a spinning mill still in operation.

“We eventually found Kerry Woollen Mills down near Killarney and they were still working in the old ways, using soap flakes and washing soda for cleaning the fleeces,” he said.

“They are now handling all the organic wool, spinning and making products such as blankets, sweaters and socks, mainly for export.

“We also had a short flirt with the fashion industry when the Esprit label contacted us. They had entered the so-called eco-fashion world.

“And they bought 12 tonnes of organic wool from us. That was heaven for the organic farmers of Ireland.”

But fashion means here today and gone tomorrow.

“It was only a one-day event,” he said.

Ballybrado, however, has sold organic sweaters to Greenpeace and to people involved in environmental issues.

None of the harmful substances used in sheep rearing today is used in its wool.

Joseph Finke, his native accent now slightly tinged with the tones of Tipperary, said he has absolutely no regrets about his decision to move to Ireland with his wife Marianne and family.

“Looking back, we have achieved a lot in Ireland, more than we could ever have achieved had we stayed in Germany,” he said.

He added that a Bord Bia invitation to him to represent the sector on its Taste Council clearly shows that organic food is indeed here to stay.

Organic farms get royal approval

BRITAIN’S Prince Charles, who has been committed to organic food and farming for over 20 years, first put his principles into practice on his farm at Highgrove in Gloucestershire.

Recently, he described the development of the organic food market as staggering.

“It is extraordinary that sales of organic food have now topped €1.5 billion in the United Kingdom and are predicted to grow by more than €3 million a week.

“I sense that in the past some of the larger food manufacturers might have been sceptical about the organic market.

“But with figures like this it is little wonder that more and more of them are responding to demand and recognising that the consumer is becoming increasingly sophisticated and minding more and more about what they feed themselves and their families.

“Ultimately, the willingness of consumers to pay a premium for organic food depends on awareness of the benefits, and that in turn is connected to the education of the public.”

He said it should never be forgotten that in 1970 the average household in Britain spent 25% of its income on food. The equivalent figure today is about 10%.

“This is an astonishing change and I suspect it has much to do with consumers not valuing as much as once they did the food they eat and losing that vital connection with the land.

“But what could be more important than what we put inside ourselves and, more importantly, our children? As the saying goes ‘we are what we eat’.”

Consumers go local, seasonal and green

THE future for organic food and farming in Ireland is bright, according to Minister of State Brendan Smith.

He said the opportunities for developing the sector have never been greater.

“Decoupling has created a whole new situation in which our farmers have the freedom to farm in response to market demands.

“In this more market-oriented scenario, there is real scope for organic production to expand,” he said.

Mr Smith said consumers like to know where the food they buy is produced, and prefer local food. They also demand quality, convenience and value.

So locally-produced organic food should have an extra appeal to consumers.

With the growth in direct selling via farm-gate, box schemes and farmers’ markets, there are outlets there for organic producers and processors to market their products locally.

Three bodies, the Irish Organic Farmers’ and Growers’ Association, Organic Trust Ltd and Demeter Standards Limited, act on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Food in certifying and inspecting organic producers and processors.

Speaking during National Organic Week, Agriculture and Food Minister Mary Coughlan urged consumers to try organic food.

She accepted that the general public probably don’t know a great deal about the organic sector and of the availability of organic products.

“We need to make the public aware of what organic food actually is, where and how it is produced and where they can buy it.

“We need to emphasise the positives associated with organic produce - fresh, seasonal, local and environmentally friendly,” she said.

Noting that imports made up a sizeable part of the organic produce sold in Ireland, she drew attention to the opportunities open to farmers after decoupling.

She said she hoped some conventional producers will look at the opportunities for import substitution.

Ms Coughlan believes an annual growth rate of some 10% should be achievable in the Irish organic food market in the medium term.

“I am strongly committed to the organic sector and my department provides a number of incentives to encourage this development.

“These including the rural environmental protection scheme, a grant aid scheme supporting investment by farmers and processors and a demonstration farm project,” she said.