Organic farm walks organised by Teagasc and funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are gaining traction among those interested in converting to organic farming. Attendees can also learn about direct sales opportunities.
The walks form part of an ongoing series that promotes successful organic operators across a variety of enterprises. These include beef, cereal, horticulture, sheep, and poultry sectors.
Attendance at all three of the 12 organic farm walks hosted so far has been good. The next walk centres on organic cereals and milling flour. It will be at Andrew and Leonie Workman’s farm, Dunany Flour Organic, in Drogheda, Co. Louth on Wednesday, 11 May, 2022 at noon.
Senator Pippa Hackett, Minister of the State Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, encourages attendance as the momentum behind organic farming grows. She said the free advice gained from these experienced organic farmers on these walks is priceless.
The current programme runs until mid-July. Applications to participate in the Organic Farming Scheme in future will re-open in October this year.
Government is intent on aligning Ireland’s organic land area with the current EU average of about 7.5% during this term. To that end, they plan to increase funding five-fold to EUR 256m in the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Meanwhile, the draft CAP Strategic Plan includes increased support payments in the organic farming scheme, priority access to the new agri environmental scheme, and an increase in the TAMS grant rate for organic farmers. Teagasc and the Agricultural Consultants Association provide advisory support.