Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1579. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the organic farming scheme will open again for applications for new entrants and for existing producers and manufacturers. [25839/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The new Organic Farming Scheme has proved extremely successful, attracting more new applicants than any scheme before, and encouraging a significant number of Irish farmers to convert to organic farming systems. This is a co-funded scheme, supported jointly through the Rural Development Programme by the EU and the Irish Exchequer. At this point in time, the budget allocated to the new scheme in Ireland’s Rural Development Programme has been fully committed and all targets set for the scheme within the RDP have already been achieved.

My Department keeps a close eye on expenditure under all headings of the RDP and I will consider the options for reallocation of funds between headings at an appropriate time.

In the meantime, the two capital investment schemes for both producers and manufacturers remain open and will continue to accept applications for support up to the end of the RDP period.