The Organic Farming Scheme 2010:who will join, and why will they do it?

Perhaps the most stark thing about the article below is the fact that 2/3 of certified organic sheep meat gets sold as conventional. What a waste!

There is a solution to this, for at least some farmers willing to grasp the nettle: direct selling 100% grass fed extra mature organic lamb (extra mature means about 15-18 months) .

My other blog, here, is all about this (as well as other hill farmed organic products)

See, I don't just write about food, I try to change it too!

For now, here's the state of play for the new crop of organic potentials, 2010........

The May 15th deadline for signing up to the Organic Farming Scheme is fast approaching and the last of the compulsory Teagasc Organic training courses are finishing up.

With these in mind, I spoke to Teagasc organic advisor Pat Barry about this years crop of organic hopefuls.

�I don't think all of the 400 or so who have done the course will sign up for the Organic Farming Scheme this year�, he tell me. �Some will take their time - its a big decision to convert a holding, and those who have done the course this year now see what's involved. They can make a more informed decision for next year, which is probably better for the longer term sustainability of the organic sector�.

In organic tillage, while there has been some interest due to the green manure payment, poor returns in conventional, and the availability of conventional slurry to organic farmers, nonetheless take up of stockless tillage remains weak.

In the main �farmers are bringing balance into their own organic units: tillage is being incorporated into livestock farms�.

Numbers converting are strong for sheep and beef. The diet of organic cattle has to be 60% grass, so the variable price of feeds is not as much an issue fas it is for conventional beef farmers.

That said, �the price of organic concentrates is back significantly, but then again, so is the price of beef� according to Pat Barry.

As has been the case, finding markets for organic lamb remains difficult: �2/3 of raw lamb in organic goes into the conventional sector: For every 20,000 ewes only 8,000 lambs are sold as organic. That's a conservative estimate�.

Out of season lamb production is one way to try to access an organic price premium, according to Barry.

One of the most significant changes in organic horticulture and tillage will be the effect of an Grainan, the operation run by Donegal Creameries.

They will be providing �80 acres of carrots and spuds, and a couple of hundred of wheat.�

320 acres of this massive holding, called an Grainan, went fully organic on 1st March. Currently, it produces arable crops, beef, beetroot, cabbage, carrots, potatoes and milk.

In diary, he points out that five are coming on stream this year, and another 3 to 4 next year. This represents a significant increase: �there will be a 20% increase in cow numbers: it will be important for the sector and the market to be fully in tune�.

However, Donegal Creameries again will exert major influence on dairy dynamics.

According to Ian Ireland, Managing Director, Donegal Creameries, they recently invested a significant amount of money in the building of an organic yogurt production plant at their Killygordon site where the company has been processing milk for over a century.

This has allowed the company to supply ALDI's 74 stores nationwide with an organic yogurt range.

The new Liskeel organic yogurt range in ALDI is made by Donegal Creameries. The 500ml pots retail at E1.39 � considerably cheaper than many competitors.

As LIDL and ALDI try to tempt different shoppers in with more diverse products, consumers are shopping around more than just a few short years ago.

Recent research in Ireland suggests that the number of retail outlets people visit regularly has gone from 2.2 to 2.8.

The race to the bottom in price terms is, in many ways, the conventionalisation of the organic sector.

Barry, like many others, suggests �cutting out the middle man� i.e. direct selling, primarily at farmers' markets, as a way to add to, or at least maintain, a price premium.

Along with this, many producers are finding that organic alone is no longer enough. Adding extra meanings - such as health, taste, locale, breed/variety, environment, production methods - to your product, along with organic, is a way forward.

Soon, we will feature here a beef farmer in conversion to organic who has secured an interesting route to market with an interesting breed of animal.

will this become the biggest organic farm in Europe?

In what will surely be a major boon for the organic sector in Ireland, one of the countries� largest farms has decided to begin the process of converting to organic. When conversion is complete, it will also be one of the biggest organic farms in Europe.

An Grianan, is a farm in a region of Donegal with the same name. Along with being massive, at almost 3,000 acres, it is also one of the most northerly farms in Ireland. It is nestled on the Inishowen peninsula�s coastline in Donegal, between the townlands of Burt, Bridgend and Burntfoot.

Unlike much of the county�s farmland, the farm, which is owned by Donegal Creameries, is relatively flat: 1800 acres of it was reclaimed from the sea.

This also makes it quite fertile, limey and sandy � �if you walk through, after it�s been ploughed, you can see the seashells� according to Gareth Whitmore of Donegal Creameries, who is managing this ambitious project.

500 acres of the farm is an important wildlife freshwater called Inch lake: it is the first landing spot for some migrating bird species.

The rest is farmed by a varying number of farmers who rent sections, mostly on a short-term lease - at present there are 20.

First up, I asked Gareth about his reasons for taking on such a large project: �farming is much the same as any other business: you need to have a point of difference. Grianan is a very special place, and the farm is too - it is very naturally fertile. We looked at various things, including oil seed rape and willow. But we thought that going organic was the best way to complement the farm. We�d feel that there is a growing need and desire out there amongst consumers�

According to Gareth, a combination of some research and a more general recognition of the fact that consumers are becoming ever more aware of what they are eating: �consumers know more and more about where their food comes from. We reckon that organic consumption will continue to rise over the next five to six years�.

Compared to conventional farming, Gareth feels that organic farming has a lot of growth potential at the moment: �organic production is coming up in demand. There seems to be less competition, as supply is coming from outside the country�.

He continues: Irish conventional produce compares favourably to our competitors� conventional produce, so home grown organic produce should be better quality than much of the available imported produce�

The plan is to convert the farm in phases, over the next five to six years. At the moment, 698 acres is in conversion, growing white and red clover to build up fertility.
At present, they are setting up an organic dairy with a local farmer on the farm.

Beef, sheep, root vegetables, barley and wheat are all possible for the future � �we�re not ruling anything in or out�.

The soil may make at least part of the enterprise particularly suitable for vegetables in general and root crops in particular.

They took advice from the relevant state players, who they found to be very helpful: �We talked to Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Teagasc to start the process. �They have been very supportive from day one. Pat Barry, the national organic advisor from Teagasc was always there with info when I needed it. All of the advisors in all of the sectors vegetables, grains, cereal crops, dairy, were all very helpful�.

As this massive and productive farm goes through the process of conversion, the organic sector will surely feel the ripples reverberate down from the tip of the north west of the island. Literally any sector they choose to go into, indeed any related sector, will feel the effects.

Will an Grianan help sort out the organic tillage shortfall? Will it reduce the proportion of imported organic vegetables on sale in Ireland? Only time will tell.

But whatever it does, being an operation on the scale it�s on, we�ll notice it.