2010 hi and lo lights in organics

From an organic farming perspective, what were the big high and low points of 2010? Perhaps surprisingly, its possible to find plenty of highs.

First up, some strong organic brands did especially well. Both big players, Good Herdsman and Glenisk did so. The latter saw significant growth in domestic and export markets. In general, the organic dairy sector saw significant expansion in retail terms, with even ALDI and LIDI now brimming with affordable organic milk and yoghurt.

(Image: Highbank farm's stall at the Kilkenny Christmas Market just gone)

Smaller organic companies also did well. For example, Beal cheese (Kerry) and Dee's Burgers (Cork) both used the platform of the Dragon's Den to grow their business.

And grow their businesses they have. Both companies use social media, especially twitter and facebook, to great effect. Facebook ads are far more targeted than any other adverts: users of facebook list an incredible amount of personal information about themselves, and adverts can be targeted towards this information with striking accuracy.

Beyond ads however, both have used other aspects of facebook to draw potential customers over to their business including running competitions and regular updates.

Earlier this month Highbank farm (Kilkenny) was in the news. This long standing organic company, run by Rod and Julie Calder-Potts, won the top prize in a new Food Innovation awards scheme sponsored by Bord Bia in association with the South-East County and City Enterprise Boards.

Highbank Farm won significant development supports as part of their prize: �15,000 for consumer research and �10,000 for design, branding and packaging, as well as supports from the Enterprise Boards.

Omega Beef Direct (Tipperary) also won an innovation award at the same competition, for their organic Galloway steak burger.

Mossfield cheese's (Offaly) winning of the National Organic Awards was an undoubted highlight too. This year, the Awards made the TV news on RTE at 6 and 9PM, increasing the profile of both the competition and the winner significantly.

Mossfield's mature gouda-style cheese, now available in a vac pac, was the real standout product from the awards. Darren Grant of the Organic Supermarket (another successful company for 2010) had a real ah-ha! moment when he tasted this cheese, and he has tasted many products over the last three years of business.

He reminded me of the Food critic Anton Ego in the kids movie Ratatouille, when he tasted the dish that transported him back in time to a perfect dish of his childhood.

It wasn't all winning either though. The loss of Trevor Sargent as junior minister with responsibility for organic farming earlier on in the year was a major negative for the organic sector. His knowledge and workrate were second to none. While Ciaran Cuffe has done a good job in carrying on the work, his time is spread out over three ministries.

That said, avoiding budget cuts for either the Grant Aid or the overall organic farming budget was a major achievement in what is year three of a major recession .This makes it the third year of no cuts, which is remarkable.

Another loss was market value � down about 10% for Irish sales. While this is in line with other areas, it is nonetheless difficult for farmers and food businesses.

While there have been positive signs of increasing market share for organic meat, there is a major change coming downstream in 2011. The rules with regard to processing organic meat are changing: producer specific abattoirs/butchers will now be subject to inspections from organic certification bodies.

It is also the case that butchers or large scale processors will not be allowed use producer-specific abattoirs: they will only be allowed use certified organic abattoirs.

This represents a significant change for those organic farmers who up until now used local butchers. Primarily, this concerned those who direct sell. To ensure organic standards are maintained, organic animals were killed first thing in the morning.

Now this relationship is set to change. Will it be for better or for worse? Both sides of the argument will be presented over the next two postings here.

In the meantime, have a prosperous, peaceful and pleasant new year!

JOHN FEEHAN ON OMEGA BEEF DIRECT FARM PARTS 1 AND 2

I would highly recommend going over to the Organics with Altitude blog and having a read of John Feehans' 2 parter on the Omega Beef Direct Farm, which has just been posted over there.

here

Dr. John Feehan is probably the most knowledgeable person on the history, heritage and current state of farming and rurality in Ireland. He also has a healthily big picture view of global issues without loosing his rural focus. A delicate pathway, but one he navigates seamlessly.

CLONMEL FARMERS' MARKET: QUALITY, VALUE AND REVERSING DONUTIFICATION

�You just can't get stuff this fresh � it was picked this morning�, so says Siobhan, a salt of the earth middle aged shopper at Clonmel's farmers' market. A massive self-serve bag of salad leaves, complete with nasturtium's for colour and spice, for 3 euros. This leafy vibrant bag is a million miles from the supermarket option: jaded bags puffed out with inert gas and binned 45% of the time, according to research.

She picks up a bottle of Happy Heart Organic Rapeseed Oil, the only other product on sale at the stall. This oil, winner in the sustainability category at the recent Bord Bia national organic awards, comes from Drumeen farm in Kilkenny.

Drumeen is one of Ireland's pioneering organic farms run by the Colchester family. It dates back to the mid 1970s, and the second generation is now branching out into what is an incredible tasting oil. Kitty Colchester's boyfriend Joe Moore runs the stall. �Its grown, pressed and bottled on the farm� he tells me proudly.

In fact, this oil is pressed every week, making it just about the freshest of all oils available in Ireland. And a snip at E6 for a half litre, such is its quality.

The market is busy from the get go, with a constant trail of people arriving, the occasional one by bike. Despite the intermittent rain, people stay to shop. When the rain eases off, they start to sit at the tables and chairs, taking in the atmosphere.

Jurgen the gourmet coffee man seems to have a permanent buzz around him. His Fair Trade americano is E1.70, which is a great price for what is a very well made gourmet coffee.

Joe Condon's organic Galloway steakburgers burgers have sold out since noon.

�I haven't seen a drop off in sales at all with the recession� he tells me; �my customers are buying more burgers than they used to, and less steak, but I sell out every week. I get a lot of people who used to go to restaurants to eat out once or twice a week. Now, they're eating organic meat at home�.

Condon's 4 pack of organic burgers retail at E6.50, which Conor Pope gave the top grade to in his pricewatch column. Its easy to see why: Condon has samples the day I visit, and the burgers seem to get bigger rather than smaller when cooked on the BBQ. �The meats' hung for 3 weeks, so it looses weight but develops flavour that way. You won't see a puddle of water run off when you cook them. People appreciate that�.

Because of this, it is difficult to even compare like with like, when comparing what you get at a farmers' market to a supermarket: �A big processor just wouldn't bother to go to the trouble I go to: it wouldn't be economical for them. It is for me because I direct sell�according to Condon.

Like everything else in Ireland, farmers' markets are feeling a pinch. Some smaller, peripheral markets have closed or struggle on. However, the bigger ones, such as Dun Laoire or Mahon Point, are doing exceptionally well. There are also incredible waiting lists for stalls, as newly unemployed people look for alternative ways to make money.

I asked a few of the shoppers why they went to the trouble of the farmers' market: was it, for example, health or the environment?

�I don't see a separation really� was the overwhelming response. For most shoppers I spoke to that day, these issues were one and the same; healthy soil, healthy planet, healthy body.

Others also pointed to the fact that actually meeting the person who produced the food was vital � �I can trust what I'm putting in my body if I can look in the eye the person who grew it� as one woman said to me.

Others again pointed to the conviviality of the place; �shopping as it should be�, as one twenty something on a bike joked, playing on the popular Supervalu supermarket slogan.

Bernie Lennon, local Green Party councilor, was instrumental in setting up this market. �We were worried that, like so many towns, Clonmel would turn into a donut�. I pressed him on this Homer Simpsonesque image: �empty in the middle, with a ring of development around it�.

But now, thanks in part to the Saturday farmers' market, the donutification of Clonmel is being challenged: in fact, the donuts at the two bakery stalls are playing their own small part in revitalisating the town centre, the producers and the consumers in this part of Ireland.

Are farmers' markets recession-proof?

Despite the recession, and indeed despite the cliches about people's economic behaviour during a recession, farmers markets are booming.

(Pic of dungarvan farmers' market, which is on every Thursday)

According to Stephenie Moe of Bord Bia �we had 135 on our books by mid 2008, we now have 149. Certainly there are slightly more opening a than closing� she tells me. �Anecdotally, the feedback from traders and orgnaisers is very positive. There is competition for traders stalls, which indicates that they are making money. A lot of producers are getting in touch.�

Organisers themselves agree: �we are creating a new market a month at the moment. There is more demand than there was during the boom� according to Sean McArdle, who runs farmers' markets in Dublin and elsewhere, mostly on the east coast of Ireland.

McArdle points out that he is being offered more sites than in previous years: �Of course, access to space may also be a sign of the recession� he suggests, in reference to closed premises, incomplete sites and other signifiers of post Celtic Tiger Ireland.

Jackie Spillane of the county council run CoCo markets agrees: �Buoyant is probably the word that best describes how the markets are doing. Several stallholders report increased sales, some report steady, and really it is only a small number who are feeling a general tightening. We're getting thousands of people at the markets.�

Spillane points out that the Dun Laoire local authorities have been extremely supportive, even down to locating and timetabling public events to coincide with the market. �Several local shops also now open on a Sunday because of the market�

There are now 45 stalls at the People's Park in Dun Laoire, with people travelling from as far as Cork with their own farmhouse cheeses. According to Spillane, about 1/3 of the traders are farmers at Dun Laoire.

In Cork, markets in urban centers are also doing well. Rupert Hugh Jones of Manon Point market: �The number of stallholders looking for stalls is absolutely crazy. We're getting 3-4 applications per day. We now have 50 stalls, and 300 on a waiting list. Customer numbers have increased with the stalls.�

All however point out that the recession is probably a cause of the increased interest in stalls:

�I've been inundated with applications from new vendors. Many are inexperienced, and may have lost jobs recently. We have 30 applications for cup cake stalls. Now, there's a place for good cup cakes, but its tricky to make a living from them. You need to be more innovative� according to Spillane.

Adapting to new consumer needs is important. Overall, it seems that people are eating out less, but are returning to quality home cooking. This benefits those selling staples in particular.

According to Tipperary farmer Joe Condon , who sells at Dungarvan farmers' market each Thursday: � my burgers are proving to be the real winner. It serves the purpose, it stands in in a meal instead of a steak�. Likewise Condon's mince is selling well.

However, he also points out that both his mince and burgers are made to a high standard:

�I provide a a democratic cross section of the animal. We make them from quality cuts, not off cuts, so the quality and flavour comes through.� Add to this the certified organic and grass fed upland Galloway dimension, and its clear that the consumer is getting a cut above the ordinary.

Stephen Baker of Listowel market has also adapted. He now sells hot dogs. However, these are no ordinary hot dogs, as the meat comes from Caroline Rigney's award winning rare breed pigs in West Limerick.

Another new development, in many ways connected to the recession, is the provision of space for produce from allotments and community gardens. Even Sean McArdle's privately run markets in and around Dublin, known for their significantly higher rents for stallholders, have integrated this into their set up.

It's not all kisses and handshakes however. Peri-urban markets are feeling the pinch. �I had to close both Bray and Wicklow recently�, Jackie Spillane tells me. Major job losses in the construction industry in satellite towns, coupled with small numbers of stallholders at the markets were cited by Spillane as the main reasons for this.

Indifferent or even belligerent local authorities are also causing problems: Due to the success of the Midelton Saturday and indeed other markets in the region, as well as numerous stallholders wanting a piece of the action, a Tuesday market has recently been established in Midelton.

However, according to Rupert Hugh Jones, � the town council wouldn't accommodate us, we've been hounded by them. They are trying to shut us down in every possible way. So we're on private land�.

Interest remains strong, however: �Within 5 days we had too many applications. So we prioritize local stallholders. Over 90% of the stallholders are locals in Midelton. The feedback has been great so far�.

Minister of State Trevor Sargent recently announced a new scheme for farmers' markets.

The 'Good Practice Standard' will be denoted by a Flag, which participating markets may display and which the Minister unveiled in the Food Market at BLOOM 2009.

According to the Department �Farmers' Markets signing up to the Good Practice Standard will under take to hold markets regularly; to source a substantial proportion, ideally 50%, of local produce from the county or neighbouring counties; to accommodate seasonal and local garden/allotment produce and to comply with food safety/labelling rules and criteria on good governance�.

When queried about this, most stallholders had not actually heard of it. While most I asked about it were cautiously positive, private market organiser Sean McArdle was initially very skeptical.

�It sounds impossible to do, they'll have no one. There is no grower in north county Dublin who could supply markets. There are a few heavily contracted to supermarkets. The last flower grower is struggling.�

He goes on: �North county Dublin has grazing land, we don't have the rich alluvial soils needed for for growing vegetables. We also don't have the tradition.�

�The real problem is that there is an idea that in a market, a farmer comes in in a tractor, puts down 10 bags of spuds and sells them with straw in his month. That Victorian image isn't there in reality. Growing is difficult, and it comes down to scale.�

All of that said �I would welcome a local grower in wholeheartedly. Any one producing from the land within a five mile radius comes in at half price already at my markets�.

However, even McArdle started to warm to the flag idea when he heard about the details. The aspirational and vague language, with words like 'ideally', 'substantial portion' and 'adjoining', along with achievable 50% local target meant that, in his opinion, his markets were in that ball park anyway.

Others, such as Jackie Spillane of the CoCo markets, were more positive: �We'll certainly be applying. 50% is achievable, it could have been higher, but this is a reasonable set of goals for the pilot phase�

Constructing an ethical life around pleasure: the best nosh for NOW (national organic week)

Drum roll in the mind please...................

5: Bioynamic Agricultural Association of Ireland event: Talk by Wendy Cooke, Cookery Demo by the "Tipperary Chefs" and Dinner Watergarden, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny. 13th September 4-8pm Tickets �50 Bookings Phone (056) 7754214
4: Omega Beef direct event: at Dungarvan farmers' market: a veritable feast, with la Touche veg, Jurgan's coffee, Joe's beef. Free ( i.e. the bbq bit is free, market will still be a market!)
3: Nenagh Community Harvest Feast event: great food, great place, great people, great price. For more, see here
2: Feelgood Hampers Event: organic wine tasting; organic antipasti; organic, macrobiotic, vegan, wheat free and sugar free cookery demonstrations; a three course meal; entertainment and a chance to win a Feelgood Organic Hamper. At Healthy Living, Athy Friday 19th of September at 7pm. ll for 25 quid.
1:Has to be the Leitrim Harvest Feast. A single event with 39 parts. Many free. From boxty competitions to raw cookery demos. Hard to beat really!

Special mention:
Erin Borkovich speaking in Dublin on the 20th
15th 21st September Simply Organic will distribute free organic fruit to local hospitals and schools Dublin area Greg@simplyorganic.ie

Farm Fest 08: organics comes of age

If ever there was an event that represented the coming of age of the artisan and organic sectors in Ireland, then it was Teagasc�s Farm Fest 08, held in Athenry on the 20^th June last. And if the Ploughing championship could be compared to the Oxygen music festival, then Farm Fest was the Electric Picnic.

This is because the otherwise more boutique, small, niche, high-end and specialist was actually centre stage. While all of the main players from the agri-food world were at the event, the main marquee, and by far the busiest and liveliest of the locations at Farm Fest, was the place where the organic producers were.

This marquee was called �innovation and artisan food�. Interestingly, the word organic wasn�t in the Marquee�s name, despite the fact that the majority of stalls, by a considerable distance, were by or of interest to organic and artisan producers.

The place seemed young, active, dynamic and positive about the future. In other arenas, people had heated debates over one cent. In this marquee, people seemed to know and love their product, and seemed able to convince consumers to pay a fair price for it.

In most cases, the farmers here were food producers � they did something to their primary products and got a proper mark up for so doing. In one section of the marquee there was Noodle House Organic Pastas, Gerry and Mary Kelly�s Moonshine organic diary products, both sitting alongside Ralph Haslam�s Mossfield Cheeses. The food producers themselves were all present and accounted for, dealing with enthusiastic and interested consumers, curious farmers and an array of media.

For Ralph, Bruce Springsteen�s decision to buy copious amounts of Mossfield when here recently seems to have catapulted the cheese into the culinary stratosphere. When I dropped by, Valerie Cox from RTE radio 1 was chatting to him. Within five minutes, during which time I devoured some hearty slices of his mature gouda-style cheese, TV3 had dropped over to find out about the Bruce Springsteen cheese.

And considering the fact that at he has done so well at the World Cheese Awards, Ralph is looking forward to the event being held in Dublin later on this year.

Another set of products attracting attention were those of Solaris botanicals. Here, a range of leading-edge organic whole leaf teas were on display and available to taste. The business is run by Karin Wieland and Jorg Muller, a couple who are qualified medical herbalists. As well as a simply spectacular range of teas, their knowledge, skill and passion were also on display.

There was a strong interest in organic feeds and seeds, while many of the main organisations involved in the organic sector had a presence too, including IOFGA, NOTS (National Organic Training Skillnets), as well as the Wexford and Leitrim Organic Centres.

The rural development, artisan and organic ends of the state institutions such as DAFF, Teagasc and Bord Bia were also busy and present, taking up a whole area of the marquee itself.

Along with the wandering and chatting, there was business being done:

Joe Condon of Omega Beef Direct was flat out gathering potential recruits for his upland farming �Organics with Altitude� idea, (featured in this supplement two weeks ago). Martin Henry and Liam Lyons had their recently purchased organic mobile butchers� unit outside the marquee in the market area � it took me five visits just to have a quick word with Liam. Padraig Fahy of Beechlawn Organic Farm seemed as busy with his vegetable selling and interactions with various players in the organic sector as when he was chair of IOFGA.

The artisan stalls were super busy too: Glastry Farm�s artisan ice cream stand, all the way from the county Down, was absolutely trobbing, as was the Foods of Athenry stall from just down the road.

When I did leave the �Innovation and Artisan Food� arena, it occasionally did look like the Electric Picnic, with some of the same food stalls, surrounded by entertainment like wooden toy tnets, a kids zone, Connemara Pony displays and then all the other marquees.

It was a beautiful day in many ways. Great weather helps, but the contented feeling of a sector on the rise helped too.

An option for hill farmers: Organics with Altitude!

Organic with Altitude May Save Uplands
from Farming Examiner Thursday June 19th 2008

�The situation for hill farmers at present is dire�. So says Joe Condon, a certified organic hill farmer from Tipperary. But Joe�s story is a positive one, one with innovation, opportunity and sustainability at its core. However, before telling you about Joe�s plans for improving the lot for hill farmers in Ireland, the situation these farmers find themselves in needs to be outlined.

This situation is one of ever dwindling numbers, ever more restrictions on their farming practices, and very little light at the end of the tunnel.

Neilie O�Leary is the chair of the IFA�s hill farming committee. I spoke to Neilie about some of the issues facing the sector.

�Without a doubt, the biggest issues are the price of the hill lamb, and the fact that the numbers of farmers are dropping constantly. For the last 3-4 years, the lambs aren�t worth anything�.

The hill farming committee have a specific request. �Mariann Fischler Boel agrees that she would pay a coupled payment on environmental grounds. Our committee is looking for �35 a ewe. Unless it�s substantial, people won�t go back�.

One of the many consequences of the current situation could be the loss of native breeds: �The loss of our native breeds would be terrible. There is only one type of sheep fit for the hill, and that�s the Scottish blackface. There are a whole lot of lowland crossbreeds, which leads to undergrazing, because these breeds won�t feed.�

Many of the moves designed to improve the environment in the countryside, and to improve how the countryside interacts with urban areas and people, have had negative effects on the opportunities for hill farmers to make a living.

Gerry Gunning is also on the hill farming committee: �New problems have been created. The nitrates directive limits animal numbers because of a lack of housing facilities. And you can�t out-winter unless your stocking levels are below a certain level.�

I asked Gerry if there was a naturally lower stocking rate in hilly and commonage areas anyway: �There can be, but on good land, one of the requirements is that the land can only hold so many animals. A requirement of the nitrates directive is that there cannot be poaching of land.�

There has been some welcome progress around the whole area of recreation walkers. After years of protracted discussions, there seems to be a rapprochement which is keeping most people happy for now.

�There is a hill walking scheme in operation, and it is being rolled out in various places across the country. Its voluntary, but it is working � farmers are getting �2,000 a piece in some cases. Certainly, that has moved in the right direction.�

However, being nice to look at and recreate in can come at a cost for farmers: �It is also difficult to get planning in some areas where farmers might want to build housing, as they are scenic areas. There are also planning issues if some of these areas are near rivers - suitable sites can be hard to find.�

There has been destocking because of the Nitrates directive, but also because of the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) legislation. �Because some of the areas were overgrazed, there has been a programme of destocking over the last 8 years through the Commonage Framework Plans. Sustainable stocking levels have been set for the � million hectares of commonage in Ireland.�

One of the effects of this has, ironically, been negative for biodiversity. Scrub encroachment has become a major issue in hilly areas, because of the reduction in animal numbers. Scrub literally chokes and smothers all other growth. In Special Areas of Conservation, as the name suggests, this is a major conservation issue.

According to Gerry �the balance between over and undergrazing is very narrow. When farmers destock their sheep, the hills become overgrown. Hill fires can emerge, as we�ve seen. Farmers need proper incentives to maintain the correct numbers in hilly areas�.

Along with all of this, like other farmers, there are problems with rising costs and reducing returns: �Sheep are being fed concentrates in the wintertime, and the price of concentrates is going up all the time. Even hay has to be brought in. The expenses are killing us,� according to Neilie.

The above obstacles and more exist for cattle, whose numbers are under even greater threat. The REPS poaching prevention requirements hit cattle farming harder, driving many to drop cattle altogether.

According to Gerry �if they have sufficient lowland, farmers can keep cattle, but in some of the hilly areas, the land mightn�t be that good for keeping cattle. But cattle farming in these areas is difficult because very few can finish the animals to slaughter. Many hill farmers depend upon trade.

�So the ban on Brazilian beef would be of serious significance to those farmers. Its important that prices are held up, and that dubious quality imports aren�t competing unfairly with our products. And in the case of hill farmers, the standard is as near to organic as you would get. So quality product is synonymous with the hill area.

The bigger Continental breeds favoured by farmers over the last 20 years or so poach the land more than traditional breeds, so are more specifically unsuited to hill, with the current set of its restrictions it faces.

All taken together, with the exception of progress with regard to rural tourism through the recent walkways agreement, this is a bleak picture. Enter Joe Condon.

Joe and his wife Eileen run an organic farming and food production business called Omega Beef Direct from their upland farm in south east Tipperary, at the foot of the Knockmealdowns. Joe has both upland commonage and some lowland. The terrain is in places tough, with heath, scrub, dry heath and dense bracken. Yet the Condons manage to not only survive but thrive.

They stock a Galloway heard, and sell direct to their consumers through two routes: farmers� markets in Dungarvan and Waterford, and a direct delivery scheme run through his website.

The Galloways are an alternative to the heavy Continentals � less poaching coupled with good scrub prevention. And far from struggling to maintain a price, Joe is getting an organic mark up, avoids winter feed, finishes his own cattle and has managed to develop a very high profile for his product.

Many of the countries� most prominent chefs and food writers such as John McKenna and Tom Doorley feature on the homepage of his omegabeefdirect.ie website. He has featured on Corrigan knows Food and just this month received more glowing reports in both the Irish Times and the Irish Independent.

Joe�s commonage has never been subjected to intensive agri-industrial treatment. And under the SACs, commonage can�t be subjected to synthetic fertilizers, herbicides and the like.

Joe has knowledge of and a stake in each part of the production of his meat: breed, butchering, distribution, marketing and consumer feedback are all part of what he does.

This is a heartening story, but it gets more heartening again. Joe has just received funding from the Organic Unit in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for a feasibility study into extending his farming model for others to emulate.

�I�ll be writing a production protocol, from conception to consumption, and have mapped out a programme of activities for myself for the summer. Over the summer, I�ll be assessing whether what I do could be done elsewhere, in a co-ordinated fashion, complete with its own branding and marketing� according to Joe.

Joe feels that there is a market for meat from traditional breeds, and that there may also be specific nutritional advantages to this meat. There is research to suggest that Galloways, and that outdoor, grass fed animals, may have higher levels of omega 3. �I�m having my own meat tested in the Ashtown food research centre at the moment, and the preliminary findings are excellent so far�

Joe intends publicising the plan to all relevant players, all of whom he feels may hold a (pardon the pun) steak in the project: �So far, a good and relevant range have expressed an interest.� This includes the local branch of the IFA, some progressive farmers he knows himself, the National Parks and Wildlife Services, and bodies involved with organic certification and training such as the National Organic Training Skillnets and the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association, IOFGA, which Joe sits on the board of.

Simply put, Joe�s farming system works. He has control from breed to the kitchen table, encompassing all the important elements in between. And he gets a good price for his product. �With the consumer, the organic dimension is key� according to Joe. �It provides the reassurance they often want � I know from the feedback at the farmers� market stalls�.

I asked Joe why, if this is working out so well for him, would he risk upsetting the apple cart as it were: will he not flood the market with competitors if he convinces others of the merits of his ways?

�I take my role as a farmer on the Board of IOFGA seriously. My contribution to IOFGA's Manifesto is the item on hill farming. I feel it�s my job to push this. I don't like to sit around and wait for others to do this. Also, the current model of farming where outside forces take large chunks of profit from the producer is not working and it is extremely discouraging.

�I am proposing a new way forward that will inspire and motivate those of us who want to farm. The current infrastructure is not presently available to develop scale in my own business. I see this as a vehicle to grow a premium meat business and it's my intention to grow with it�

The name of this project? Organics With Altitude. Very apt indeed.

To contact Joe about Organics With Altitude, phone him on 087 2735447 or email him on info@omegabeefdirect.ie