Written answers
Tuesday, 5 October 2021
Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Agriculture Schemes
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
743. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers approved for the organic farming scheme in September 2021; if such holdings were horticultural, tillage or other; the mean, median, and mode of these holdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47584/21]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
My colleague, Minister of State Hackett, announced the opening of the Organic Farming Scheme(OFS) earlier this year. A total of 317 applications were received by the closing date for the 2021 Organic Farming Scheme. I am pleased to advise that 261 OFS approval letters have already issued to applicants and further approvals will continue to issue.
The total number of hectares included in these approved applications to date amounts to 13,206ha, with the average farm size of just under 51ha. The remaining applicants have been contacted by my Department to resolve outstanding issues in relation to their applications. Approvals will continue to issue upon resolution of the issues concerned.
The holdings which are the subject of the approvals to date are broken down as follows:
| No of farmers | Main Enterprise | Approx Ha under this enterprise | Average farm size Ha |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | Beef | 5,900 | 57 |
| 12 | Dairy | 623 | 52 |
| 6 | Forage | 256 | 43 |
| 55 | Horticulture | 2,296 | 42 |
| 34 | Mixed | 1,651 | 49 |
| 10 | Poultry | 345 | 34 |
| 32 | Sheep | 1,797 | 56 |
| 9 | Tillage | 338 | 38 |
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
744. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers that are expected to gain approval for the organic farming scheme in September 2021; the outstanding matters that are required to be addressed; if such holdings were horticultural, tillage or other; the mean, median, and mode of these holdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47585/21]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
A total of 317 applications were received under the 2021 Organic Farming Scheme. I am pleased to advise that 261 OFS approval letters have already issued to applicants, while five farmers have decided not to proceed with their applications.
My Department has contacted another 51 applicants, from across all sectors, with regard to the information supplied by them in respect of their applications. We will be in a position to further evaluate their applications on receipt of the details requested. These relate to issues concerning their BPS applications with regard to land parcel description. At this stage, it is not possible to determine the enterprise type of these outstanding applications due to the absence of land parcels details on some of the applications.
Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
745. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers that were refused a place in the organic farming scheme in 2021; the reason for refusal; if such holdings were horticultural, tillage or other; the mean, median, and mode of these holdings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47586/21]
Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source
I am pleased to inform the deputy that no farmer has been refused a place in the Organic Farming Scheme 2021 to date. 261 approvals have already issued and 51 applicants have been contacted by my Department with regard to the information supplied by them in respect of their applications. We are awaiting correspondence from the applicants on the issues raised. Upon resolution of these issues, we will then be in a position to issue further approvals as appropriate.
No comments