Organic Farm Scheme re-opened to new applicants
Portrait of happy male carrying vegetables in crate at farm
The re-opening of the Organic Farm Scheme (OFS) to new entrants has been welcomed by IFA Organic Project Team Chairman John Curran.
The scheme will close to applicants on Friday, December 8th.
The budget for the OFS has increased this year to €57m, up €21m on the €36m allocation for 2023.
The OFS last re-opened in October 2022 and over 2000 new applicants entered the scheme, doubling the number of organic farms in Ireland.
“Ensuring that markets are available for additional organic production and that organic farmers receive a sustainable margin for their produce must be a priority and not the additional land base attracted into the system. We cannot have a situation where the market is saturated for existing farmers, or that any existing premium is lost,” said Mr Curran.
While acknowledging that significant investment had been made on market development this year, it was also imperative, he said, that the Government continue to stimulate demand for organic produce in order to ensure there was a proper functioning market for organic farmers.
