‘No one wants to be first in the parish to be the organic farmer’

Barriers for farmers in converting to organic include financial incentives that are not 'strong enough', 'hidden costs' such as training and certification and concern over a clear, identifiable market for organic produce

Organic specialist Joe Kelleher pictured earlier this year at a farm walk at Gleann na Gealt, Camp, Tralee, Co Kerry with host Brigid O’Connor. Picture: O'Gorman Photography

There is a multitude of reasons why farmers aren’t converting to organics in the masses — and one of them is that no one wants to be the "first in the parish" to be the organic farmer.

Joe Kelleher, Teagasc organics specialist, told a recent event that often, farmers are “waiting for someone else to do it, and then they might follow on”.