Higher payment rates per hectare and lump sum payments have been announced under the Organic Farming Scheme.

The new payment rates come into effect from January 2023 for dairy, drystock, tillage and horticulture farmers.

In the conversion period, drystock farmers are in line for a €300/ha payment, tillage farmers will receive €320/ha and dairy farmers will receive €350/ha. A payment of €800/ha is on the table for horticulture farmers.

For years three to five under the scheme, the payment rates will drop to €250/ha for drystock farmers, €270/ha for tillage farmers, €300/ha for dairy farmers and €600/ha for those in horticulture.

A new participation payment in the form of lump sums will also apply across the five years of the scheme; €2,000 in year one and €1,400 thereafter.

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As revealed in this week’s Irish Farmers Journal, the average suckler or sheep farmer on 40ha could be paid €61,600 over the course of the five-year scheme.

Taking the average dairy farm size of 64ha, dairy farmers could be paid €110,000 over the five years, while, at 70ha, the average tillage farmer could net €108,700 under the scheme.

To find out how much you could be paid under the Organic Farming Scheme, click here to use the Department of Agriculture’s calculator.