Senator Pauline O’Reilly said that the Green Party are announcing a dramatic increase in funding for organic farmers.
“€5.5 million will arrive in the bank accounts of some 1,200 organic farmers this week today.The Organic Farming Scheme (OFS ) has been a huge success resulting in an increase of nearly 50% on the hectarage under organic production since the start of the scheme in 2014,” she said.
“This is great news for biodiversity and carbon emissions and is being led by increased consumer demand for organic products. An additional €4 million provided for in Budget ‘21 by Minister Pippa Hackett will support a further 400 to 500 more farmers to go organic in 2021,” added Senator Pauline O’Reilly.
“My experience is that farmers want to have a sustainable future and to invest in Green agriculture, but they need financial support. The work of organic farmers is crucial to the health of soil and to biodiversity.
“Getting started is one of the challenges and this additional funding will ensure that we will start to see more organic farms and more of this local food on our shelves and in our local markets,” she concluded.
