Teagasc organic plan: baby steps in the right direction

Over the next two postings the two recent organic plans, those of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (DAFF) and Teagasc, will be assessed here. These plans represent important signposts for how organic farming and growing in Ireland may develop over the next few years, so they deserve detailed scrutiny.

The Teagasc plan�s introduction gives an interesting background to the state of the organic sector, which highlights where some of the opportunities are.

It points to increased demand �for organic beef, lamb, pig and especially poultry meat� on the home market; importantly, �most organic pig and poultry meat consumed in Ireland is imported�. Likewise, the Glenisk expansion plans and the importation of 8,000 tonnes of organic feed and feed ingredient point to great opportunities.

While these areas offer undoubted options for innovative producers, there are also constraints. The conventional diary price has been high for a considerable time, and this seems to have induced something of a comfort zone for conventional dairy producers. However, there are signs that this safe stable place is an illusion, with conventional prices now starting to fall. Like many farmers, conventional dairy farmers are at the vagaries of the global commodity market for some of their products. Meanwhile, organic butter and the main organic cheddar cheeses available in the supermarkets are made with UK milk.

As Teagasc rightly point out, however, feed must surely be an opportunity: whatever about relying on export markets for Irish products, the home market for feeds needs to be, well, fed.

An annual budget of �1.1 million is earmarked for organic programmes/activities: is this enough in a multi billion Euro Irish agri-food sector? That said the fact that 11% of the available Teagasc research land is dedicated to organics is an interesting revelation.

The stabilization of the number of organic farm walks at 21 obviously does not represent growth. However, as the other plan � the DAFF plan � points out, there is a need for more comprehensive follow-on services and more detailed analysis of the demonstration farms. The DAFF plan states that an E-profit monitor will be conducted for each farm, which is a step in the right direction. In short, better walks is probably the way forward, rather than more walks.

Teagasc�s plans for technical booklets on various areas of production, the appointment of specialists who will visit 100 farms per year each, and the production of a dedicated newsletter are all worthy developments.

The training initiatives are an up-scaling on what was previously available. However, 25 hour FETAC courses and modules in Agricultural colleges simply do not compare to what is available in places like Scotland and in particular Wales. The Welsh Organic Centre, which is part of the University of Aberystwyth, and their inter-institutional and legislative support levels are commendable. Organics in Wales has risen from 0.3% to 6% since 1998, while our rates have vacillated between embarrassing variations of 0 and 1% in the same period. (For more on organics in Wales, see my article in the current edition of Organic Matters)

Whatever about the limitations, the organic diary research in the plan does seem to be very leading edge, in particular the research being carried out in the Solohead/Moorepark project. This research aims to substantially reduce organic dairy farmers� winter milk costs, which, in the context of a likely growth in the main processor�s winter milk requirements, is welcome.

However, the omission of horticulture from the plan is both worrying and disheartening. Horticulture makes something of an entry into the tillage section, through the mention of potato in a seven year rotation: that is literally the sum of the horticultural dimension to the plan. There are a number of reasons why this is a particular failing.

Organic fresh fruits and vegetables are already an import-dominated sector. This carries both import substitution opportunities and food security fears. It is all the more noteworthy in a context where the minister represents horticulturalists in his constituency and has horticulture under his remit. Likewise, we are both consuming ever more, and indeed being told to consumer ever more fresh fruits and vegetables.

Overall, horticulture�s omission is a bit of an elephant in the living room. Otherwise, baby steps in the right direction.