Twelve local and national proposals to promote organic production have been awarded funding of €1.1m.
Twelve local and national proposals to promote organic production have been awarded funding of €1.1m by the Department of Agriculture.
Among the successful applicants receiving funding is the Irish Organic Milk Suppliers Co-op Society Ltd. This project will develop a business plan examining the possibilities for a newly formed, farmer-owned organic dairy co-op in Ireland.
This work will include an examination of processing opportunities and feasibility assessment of same, a look at strategic partnership options for the co-op, and also an assessment of how the co-op could use its leverage to improve farmer incomes and make conversion to organic dairy a more attractive prospect.
The Irish Organic Milk Producers Ltd Waterford is also a successful applicant.
Its pilot project will investigate the use of organic milk to make both organic butter and organic skimmed milk powder.
There will more new organic milk producers in the next two/three years entering the industry and a solution is needed to utilise their milk into saleable products for the domestic and export markets, according to the department’s project description.
Project call
Minister of State Pippa Hackett said that earlier this year, the Department of Agriculture announced a call for projects to promote organic production in Ireland, in line with the European Organic Action Plan.
“The projects selected cover a very broad area, from living mulches to advisory support for organic farmers to the potential for organic butter, and everything in between,” Ms Hackett said.
“This call will further support the Programme for Government target of 10% of all land farmed organically by 2030.
“The call, the first of its kind for the organic sector, encouraged innovative proposals, and the successful applicants will now be engaging in a range of activities to highlight the benefits of organic production in Ireland.”
Successful projects
The National Organic Training Skillnet has received funding that will provide for the purchase of trial equipment to be used in practical organic training programmes for small-scale dairy production.
The department said essential training equipment is currently unavailable in Ireland for key areas such as cheesemaking, yoghurt production, butter production, and ice cream production, and this project aims to rectify this situation by creating a dedicated small-scale dairy processing training unit.
It has also received funding for the establishment of an organic and biological living lab programme to bring together farmers and researchers to facilitate research and coordinate knowledge sharing.
The Organic Trust has also received funding to organise, promote, and run a national organic food fair.
Organic target
Ireland’s Programme for Government has set a target of more than tripling the organic land area by 2027 to approximately 336,000 hectares.
This target has been incorporated into Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan, Food Vision 2030 and the Climate Action Plan has a target of 10% by 2030.
The aim is to reach this target by supporting farmers to convert to organic farming through the Organic Farming Scheme, enhanced advisory support, and increased promotion as well as developing market demand.
