Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There was a big increase in the commitment we made to organics in the CAP strategic plan. In the old CAP strategic plan, which finished in 2020 and was extended for two years, the total funding for organics was approximately €50 million over the course of the full CAP programme. We have now delivered a fivefold increase in funding for organics in this CAP up to 2027. That funding has seen a very significant increase in uptake and there has been an increase in popularity for joining the organic scheme. Over the lifetime of this Government, we have seen a doubling of the number of farmers in organics from 2,000 to 4,000. For this current year, when the scheme is reopened, we expect to add approximately 1,000 farmers over the course of this year.

It is fair to say that the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, has done very good work in this space and there has been a significant step change in the attitude towards organics and the popularity of it. That is something we will continue to see.