Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Organic Farming Scheme was reopened earlier this year to encourage farmers to make the transition to organic farming. This is part of my commitment and that of the Programme for Government which is the highest level of ambition ever for the Irish organic sector.

Successful applications will be determined by a ranking and selection process. Marks are awarded for each sector with the aim of increasing the area under organic production, while prioritising areas deemed to be in deficit.

The Ranking and Selection is targeted at areas in deficit as outlined in the Strategy for the Development of the sector, which are dairy, tillage and horticulture. The process also gives priority to young farmers and larger holdings to encourage their participation in the scheme. These will help bring more scale to the sector.

However, there is no barrier to any sector or farm size applying and, indeed, I made it clear at the time of reopening that I encouraged applications from all interested farmers.

I am confident that the funding which has been provided for the organic sector is sufficient to allow farmers from both small and large holdings and indeed other farming enterprises to gain entry into the scheme.