Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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119. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his proposals to increase participation in organic farming. [26983/22]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Organic farming is one area where the interests of Irish agriculture and our climate action targets can collide, yet we have set a very low target in this State, which has been highlighted by the European Commission. What is the Minister's proposal to increase participation in organic farming within Irish agriculture?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Growing our land under organics and continuing to build a very exciting sector here is a key priority of mine and the Minister of State, Deputy Hackett. The current programme for Government target is to align the utilisable agricultural area under organic production in Ireland with the EU average of 7.5%. A budget of €21 million was allocated to the organic farming scheme in 2022, which is an increase of €5 million from the previous year. This allocation supports the 1,734 contracts currently in the organic farming scheme.

The sector in Ireland is experiencing considerable growth at present, with the area of land under organic production now at approximately 110,000 ha following the most recent reopening of the scheme. It has been reopened in each of the past two years to give every farmer the opportunity to join. I have introduced changes to the scheme this year by reducing the required stocking rate and by increasing the area paid at the higher rate from 60 ha to 70 ha, measures I believe will encourage new entrants to organic farming. These have already had a positive effect. There were 380 new applicants to the organic farming scheme, which closed for applications in April. This is almost a 20% increase in application numbers compared with 2021. Altogether, this means just under 700 new farmers joined the scheme in the past 12 months, which is significant.

In 2021, an additional 12,000 ha were farmed organically and it is expected this will increase by a further 17,000 ha, taking into consideration those who applied to join the scheme this year. These 29,000 new hectares mean a 35% increase in land farmed organically in the past two years. I am committed to continuing the implementation of the national organic strategy 2019-2025 that sets out an ambitious growth strategy for the sector by aligning it closely with market opportunities, which the Deputy will agree is important.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister mentioned the 7.5% target was the EU average about three years ago. It has already gone way beyond that.

For what year is that target? When does the Minister expect to achieve it and what is the Government's target for 2030? The EU has set a target of 25% for then.

The Minister mentioned marketing opportunities and the need to ensure that, when farmers move to organic products, they get a premium for those and they have a market into which to sell. Has the Minister engaged with other Departments, in particular the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, to ensure a portion of the budget for the procurement of food using taxpayers' money is ring-fenced for Irish-produced organic food? This single measure could make a major difference in increasing the targets the Government has set.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There has been engagement with other Departments on that issue and there will continue to be. The 7.5% target was set when the three Government parties agreed the programme for Government. It represents a significant increase-----

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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By when?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The end of this programme for Government period. That is why we have increased the funding allocation for organics in the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, programme fivefold compared with the previous programme. We have allocated €250 million to organics over the course of the next CAP period, which will run from 2023 to 2027. Those who have applied to the scheme this year and last are being accepted. Previously, there was not enough space on the scheme for the number of applicants. That is no longer the case. The door is open and there is a warm welcome for everyone who wants to go organic because the Government has committed to putting funding in place. Farmers are increasingly seeing the opportunities in organics from the point of view of family farm profits and, importantly, what it can contribute in terms of the sustainability of our food and its emissions footprint.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Regarding procurement, we need to go beyond just engaging with Departments. Consider the hundreds of millions of euro the State spends on food for hospitals, schools and buildings such as this one, for example. When using public money to purchase food, it would send a strong signal and be a supportive measure for the sector if a portion of that budget were ring-fenced for Irish-produced organic food.

The Minister referred to marketing. Bord Bia will set out what it has done to market Irish-produced organic food, but its budget for that is not ring-fenced either, so how can the Minister or any of us be confident we are marketing and selling this fantastic product appropriately? Irish-produced organic food is probably the best quality food in the world. How are we ensuring there is always a market for it and that, when our food is going into that market, it is securing a premium price?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We are making good progress. I have outlined the Government's commitment of a fivefold increase in funding for organics over the next few years. Between last year and this, the area under organic farming has increased by 35%. That is significant, but we need to drive on. We want to reach the 7.5% target. We want to communicate to farmers the great opportunity for them presented by moving into organics, how that can work for them from the point of view of production and profitability, and how it can work for Ireland in terms of capturing more of the organic marketing, which is undoubtedly growing internationally and domestically. The Minister of State, Senator Hackett, has engaged with Bord Bia on ensuring the marketing of the organics scheme proceeds at pace alongside the growth of the sector, and the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, has been working closely with Bord Bia on this matter and on new market development in his responsibility for developing markets. It is important we not just support organic produce through our schemes but also develop the premiums and markets for same.