New organic recruits: a lot done....

There has been a significant increase in the number of new applicants for conversion to organic, according to the two main certification bodies.

May 15th was the deadline for both the Organic Farming Scheme, and for REPS 4. The majority of organic farmers are in REPS, though it is no longer a technical requirement.

Some of the figures below are complicated by the fact that organic farmers often have mixed enterprises. It is also the case that these are preliminary and approximate, rather than final figures.

(photo: Am I boaring you?: by Steve Ford Elliott for attribution see here, for more of his work see here)

That said, both Organic Trust and the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA ) are pleased with progress.

According to IOFGA, they received about 150 new applicants. This is up from last year's 100, and the previous year's figure, which was just under 80.

This represents an increase of about 15% on their current membership of approximately 1000, or an increase of 50% on the numbers converting last year.

�The majority of the new applicants are livestock farmers� according to Angela Clarke, certification manager of IOFGA. �Most of these are beef farmers, with some sheep farmers as well�.

She points out that more of these applicants are growing grain for feed than in previous years.

Geographically, most IOFGA applicants this year have come from the west and north west.

Horticulture numbers remain small, with about 10 new applicants. However, of this number, there was no large, field scale operator who applied to convert.

Similarly, there were few dairy farmers opting for the organic option, with �about five� choosing this route. Even this is significant, however, as there are less than 20 in the republic at present.

IOFGA did not report significant new processors, retailers, seafood companies or exporters.

On the other hand, the Organic Trust have new applicants from processing, including meat processing and food businesses more generally.

They also claimed to have �a number of new retailers� and an organic soil conditioner according to Helen Scully, National Co-ordinator and Certification Manager.

A new trend for the Trust is applicants incorporating pigs into their enterprises.

Otherwise, there are similarities. Very few applicants in horticulture, with most for the Trust being from mixed enterprises.

While last year's deadline saw tillage farmers apply, this year they report no major moves in this sector.

Like IOFGA, most applicants were in beef and sheep. Their geographical spread is wide, and more balanced that other years, according to Helen Scully. However, there are still, for the Organic Trust, laggard counties such as Louth and Donegal.

In total, Organic Trust report an increase of 11% in their membership. Organic Trust are thought to have close to 500 members on their books at present.

The new certification body, IMO, remain in the aquaculture sector only, and have not yet received applicants from other sectors.

Because they are a global certification organisation involved in certification across many areas, those involved in export and processing are likely to be their main target area in the future.

There are a number of positives in these figures. They suggest that organics has grown since 2005, despite the recent recession.

Collective initiatives in upland livestock, the north west and in diary which may also increase the numbers.

However, it is still a slow rate of growth when compared to the plan in the programme for government of 5% land area converted to organic by 2012. At the current 1%, this remains an ambitious target.

As this 5% figure is for land area not productive capacity, the conversion of an Grianin, with 2500 acres next year, will be significant in adding to the figures.

Some in the organic sector, particularly in horticulture, have criticised the fact that the figure is land area based. They complain that as it may be possible to reach 5% but not increase production of organic food in Ireland significantly. Organic horticulture as an example can produce large amounts of food on a very small area of land.

As the always apt Fianna fail albatross proclaimed: A lot done, more to do.