Dr. Mary Ryan:

I thank Deputy Browne for his questions. In terms of what is the biggest impediment, there are many and they can depend on the sector one is coming from. For example, we are doing research on the barriers to conversion to dairy organic. The research suggests that challenges are not just around the farmers converting to organics, setting up the new system and becoming certified, but that a whole system-wide change needs to happen. All of this needs to happen at the same time. While farmers need to move into conversion to dairy, the wider sector and the value chain, in particular, need to move because there is a big investment required in stainless steel for segregation of milk and for processing. All of that must happen together if any meaningful increase in production is to take place.

For beef and sheep farmers, the changes that are needed may not be as big, particularly on the type of soils referred to by the Deputy and where farmers are already very close to farming in an organic or agroecologically-friendly way. At the same time, change is hard for all of us from a behavioural perspective. There are restrictions, new rules and regulations to take on board. There are costs to take on in terms of animal bedding and changing one's system of farming. There are grants under the targeted agricultural modernisation scheme and the organic investment scheme to cover some of those costs. There are, not necessarily competing schemes, but other opportunities for farmers to avail of. This year the new results-based environment agri pilot programme, REAP, scheme was introduced. It will run for two years and there is quite a bit of money involved. Some people might say, anecdotally, that for the current scheme some farmers chose to take the shorter-term options like REAP rather than making a longer-term commitment. As the director said, there is a big challenge in upskilling. The advisers and specialists will say that to make it as an organic farmer, a person needs to believe in the environmental and sustainable ethics of organic farming, as well as being a good manager.

One can clearly see that in the last five to ten years, there is a much greater convergence between what were once called conventional farming methods and organic farming methods. One now finds that many of the methods that were considered purely organic five years ago, are being adopted by conventional beef, dairy and sheep farmers. There is a much greater convergence towards a sustainability route. Hopefully, those challenges will not be as big in the future.