Organic farmers to receive €6.8m in latest payment run
The number of organic ewes will treble by 2026 compared to this year and the number of organic suckler cows will double.
Farmers are now receiving 2023 balancing payments under the Organic Farming Scheme.
Over 85% of the farmers in the scheme are receiving payment this week, with the amount totalling €6.8m.
The scheme is co-funded by the Department of Agriculture and the EU.
The overall objective of the Organic Farming Scheme is to deliver enhanced environmental and animal welfare benefits and to encourage producers to respond to the market demand for organically produced food.
A total budget of €256m has been allocated to the scheme over the lifetime of this CAP.
For a 40-hectare drystock farmer, total payment over the five years of the organic farming scheme is 54% higher than under the previous CAP, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The number of organic ewes will treble by 2026 compared to this year and the number of organic suckler cows will double.
Announcing this latest payment run, Minister of State Pippa Hackett said the money will be in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days and the department "will continue to process as a matter of urgency all remaining cases for payment as they meet scheme criteria".
“I would also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that the Organic Processing Investment Grant scheme is currently open, with a 60% grant rate to invest in processing facilities," Ms Hackett added.
"By investing in organic processing capacity through this grant scheme, we are investing in the value of the primary producers’ product.”
According to the minister, the land area in organics has trebled in the last three years.
"As more and more farmers convert to organics, the economic advantages of farming organically are plain to see," she continued.
"These payments are a key support measure, and I would encourage all farmers to have an open mind about their farming enterprise, to crunch the numbers and consider whether it makes sense for them too to become an organic farmer.”
