The Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) will open for the next intake of new applicants on Friday 3 November and remain open for five weeks, closing on Friday 8 December 2023.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Senator Pippa Hackett, says the current level of interest in organic farming in Ireland is unprecedented, and comments that the Department “anticipates huge interest among farmers to be reflected in applications to the scheme”.
The surge in interest is reflected in the number of farmers participating in the OFS more than doubling in 2023, to more than 4,000 participants.
The main driver of the increased interest has been a massive rise in funding allocated and scheme payment rates.
Table 1 details payment rates across the four farming systems. The rates are €100/ha to €150/ha higher for livestock systems, €20/ha to €70/ha higher for tillage enterprises, and up to €500/ha higher for horticulture.
Added incentives
The introduction of a participation payment on top of the area-based payments is an added incentive.
The lump sum payment for year one is €2,000 per applicant, reducing to €1,400 per annum for the remainder of the contract.
The payment is unique to organics and is aimed at covering any costs relating to the conversion, such as advisory/consultancy and veterinary fees.
In addition to higher payment rates, organic farmers are also eligible for 60% grant aid under the TAMS On-Farm Capital Investment Scheme. Participation in organics also prioritises entry to ACRES with OFS placed in Tier 1.
An equally important change in attracting higher interest has been the reduction in the minimum stocking rate, from 0.5LU/ha to a minimum of 0.1LU/ha over the 12-month calendar period.
This change opened up the opportunity of joining organics for a large cohort of farmers, with extensive production systems and/or farming on more marginal-type land or hill/mountain areas.
Application process
Farmers interested in joining the OFS must be registered with and certified by one of these two organic control bodies:
Irish Organic Association (info@irishoa.ie – 090 6433680).Organic Trust CLG (info@organictrust.ie – 045 882377).A conversion plan must be prepared and submitted to whichever certification body you select.
There is a fee for submitting this plan, but the Irish Farmers Journal understands it is refundable if an applicant does not get accepted into the scheme.
The conversion plan can be prepared by an applicant or an adviser working on their behalf. An animal health plan must be prepared and signed off by a veterinary practitioner.
Applicants must also apply to the OFS via the Department’s agfood.ie portal.
The likelihood of this intake of new applicants being oversubscribed will depend on the number and size of farms submitted.
Oversubscription
In the case of the scheme being oversubscribed, then ranking and selection will favour horticulture, followed by dairy and tillage farmers, and then with the most highly stocked farmers getting preferential access.
Further information on selection and ranking in the case of the scheme being oversubscribed can be found at https://www.gov.ie/en/service/d46aec-organic-farming-scheme/.
The Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) will open for the next intake of new applicants on Friday 3 November and remain open for five weeks, closing on Friday 8 December 2023.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Senator Pippa Hackett, says the current level of interest in organic farming in Ireland is unprecedented, and comments that the Department “anticipates huge interest among farmers to be reflected in applications to the scheme”.
The surge in interest is reflected in the number of farmers participating in the OFS more than doubling in 2023, to more than 4,000 participants.
The main driver of the increased interest has been a massive rise in funding allocated and scheme payment rates.
Table 1 details payment rates across the four farming systems. The rates are €100/ha to €150/ha higher for livestock systems, €20/ha to €70/ha higher for tillage enterprises, and up to €500/ha higher for horticulture.
Added incentives
The introduction of a participation payment on top of the area-based payments is an added incentive.
The lump sum payment for year one is €2,000 per applicant, reducing to €1,400 per annum for the remainder of the contract.
The payment is unique to organics and is aimed at covering any costs relating to the conversion, such as advisory/consultancy and veterinary fees.
In addition to higher payment rates, organic farmers are also eligible for 60% grant aid under the TAMS On-Farm Capital Investment Scheme. Participation in organics also prioritises entry to ACRES with OFS placed in Tier 1.
An equally important change in attracting higher interest has been the reduction in the minimum stocking rate, from 0.5LU/ha to a minimum of 0.1LU/ha over the 12-month calendar period.
This change opened up the opportunity of joining organics for a large cohort of farmers, with extensive production systems and/or farming on more marginal-type land or hill/mountain areas.
Application process
Farmers interested in joining the OFS must be registered with and certified by one of these two organic control bodies:
Irish Organic Association (info@irishoa.ie – 090 6433680).Organic Trust CLG (info@organictrust.ie – 045 882377).A conversion plan must be prepared and submitted to whichever certification body you select.
There is a fee for submitting this plan, but the Irish Farmers Journal understands it is refundable if an applicant does not get accepted into the scheme.
The conversion plan can be prepared by an applicant or an adviser working on their behalf. An animal health plan must be prepared and signed off by a veterinary practitioner.
Applicants must also apply to the OFS via the Department’s agfood.ie portal.
The likelihood of this intake of new applicants being oversubscribed will depend on the number and size of farms submitted.
Oversubscription
In the case of the scheme being oversubscribed, then ranking and selection will favour horticulture, followed by dairy and tillage farmers, and then with the most highly stocked farmers getting preferential access.
Further information on selection and ranking in the case of the scheme being oversubscribed can be found at https://www.gov.ie/en/service/d46aec-organic-farming-scheme/.
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