The report recommends that the DAFM, Bord Bia, and the certification bodies work in a co-operative as opposed to punitive manner with organic farmers to allow the sector to reach its potential

Last October the Organic Farmers Representative Body (OFB) met the Joint Committee on Agriculture to air its grievances in relation to a number of issues. The grievances ranged from inspection rates charged by organic certification bodies to the difficulties for smaller hectare organic farmers due to the introduction of double funding across both GLAS and the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS).

The agriculture committee followed up its meeting with the OFB by engaging with officials from the DAFM in November and representatives from Bord Bia in December.

Report

Following these meetings, the agriculture committee prepared a report for consideration by the Department of Agriculture which endorses many of the recommendations made by the OFB in relation to the sector.

One of the report's 17 recommendations is that the DAFM investigate whether it would be more efficient to have one streamlined body granting organic status - preferably Bord Bia Bia - and that the registration fees for same would be reduced.

Currently there are five certification bodies in the country, the largest of which are the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association and the Organic Trust. The average certification rates for organic farmers based on the inspection costs of these two bodies over the five-year organic scheme contract period are as follows:

A farmer with 12ha pays €2,200 to the bodies over the five-year period.

A farmer with 30ha pays €3,000 to the bodies over the five-year period.

A farmer with 50ha pays €3,100 to the bodies over the five-year period.

Based on these high figures, the committee's report recommends that DAFM employ a risk-based inspection regime when inspecting premises engaged in organic farming. This would lessen the inspection costs for organic farmers, who under EU regulations have to be inspected on an annual basis. The European Commission is already looking into this recommendation under its proposed package of reforms of the organic sector.

If these recommendations were to be implemented by this or the next government, it would completely transform organic farming in Ireland

The agriculture committee is also concerned that smaller farmers are not benefitting adequately from the OFS, while farmers with larger holdings are benefitting disproportionately. It therefore recommends that the first 20ha would be front loaded at €315/ha in view of the fact that small farmers cannot avail of the organic payment and claim low input pastures or traditional hay meadows under GLAS. The current rate averages €170/ha for the first 20ha.

The report also identified Austria as the EU Member State which has best expanded their organic farming sector - around 15% of its land is farmed organically compared to just 2% in Ireland - and recommends that the DAFM examine the Austrian model to see what aspects of their model could be replicated in Ireland particularly in relation to the definitions of organic.

It also recommends that the DAFM, Bord Bia, and the certification bodies work in a co-operative as opposed to punitive manner with organic farmers to allow the sector to reach its potential.

Reaction

Reacting to the report, Padraic Finnegan, chairman of the OFB said he is "very happy" with it. "If these recommendations were to be implemented by this or the next government, it would completely transform organic farming in Ireland," he said.

Finnegan especially welcomed the two recommendations that the number of organic certification bodies be reduced and that the first 20ha of an organic farm be front loaded at €315/ha.

"The way the situation is at the moment, the smaller farmer is losing out. A farmer with 20ha currently puts 10ha into GLAS and 10ha into the OFS. Yet he pays the organic certification body for 20ha. It's not financially viable for him to remain in the OFS when he could make more money by entering all the land into GLAS, which has the potential to give him a lot more money over the lifetime of the scheme. Frontloading would make it more attractive for the farmer to stay in the OFS and to stay in organic farming."