Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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525. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of a 5% increase in subsidies to existing and new participants on the organic farming scheme for produce in cereals, fruits, vegetables, legumes and other non-livestock based outputs. [32164/18]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The Organic Farming Scheme(OFS) is currently closed for new applications. The annual allocation for this Scheme is €10.5 million.  Based on current participation, which incorporates all enterprise types, the estimated cost of a 5% increase in OFS payments would equate to €525,000 per annum. As OFS participants engage in mixed farming which include the non-livestock enterprises mentioned, it is difficult to establish a definitive figure specific to the crops named.

While the Scheme is closed for new applications, existing participants have the option to diversify if they so wish to non-livestock enterprises and to increase their holdings to accommodate any such new enterprise.