The Irish Government wants to see 5% of farmland in Ireland under organic production by 2020.
The target is included in an ambitious new Organic Farming Action Plan unveiled this week by Tom Hayes TD, minister of state for agriculture, food and marine.
The minister said: “This Action Plan will be central to assisting our efforts to develop the organic sector to its full potential as recognised by the Food Harvest 2020 Report”.
The Action Plan aims to increase production base in Ireland, replacing imports with Irish organic produce wherever possible. It also promotes awareness of the potential export market for Irish producers and seeks to develop sustainable export markets for Irish organic produce as supplies become available. And it aims to identify issues that are impeding the growth of the organic sector in Ireland with an emphasis on developing solutions.
“The target of 5% of land area under organic production set out in the Food Harvest 2020 Report is indeed a challenging target that we must together strive to achieve. The Action Plan I am launching today is a very important element in this process and one that I hope all stakeholders will embrace”, Minister Hayes concluded.
