Organic farming is one of agriculture's biggest growth sectors, although Ireland seriously lags behind its European counterparts. Now the threatened closure of Ireland's only State-funded organic college raises questions about the Government's commitment to the industry. Iva Pocock reports.
Patrick Ruane of Castleblakeny, Co Galway is one of a growing number of farmers who have decided to convert their farms to organic production. He hopes to have his land fully certified as organic before he passes it on to his son Michael, who is now only 14 years old.
"I believe it's the way farming is going," says Ruane. "It seems organics is a growth area, as people become more and more interested in what they are eating and in having a guarantee that their food is not full of chemicals."
Ruane's belief that organic food production is a growth area is borne out by national and international statistics. According to Prospects for Organic Food in Ireland, a 2000 report by An Bord Bia, which promotes Irish food and drink: "Organic food is one of the fastest growing segments of the European food market, albeit from a small base". Figures show that the value of organic food sales in the EU increased threefold between 1990 and 1999, to an estimated €5.71 billion. "The market is currently growing by 20 to 30 per cent annually," the report continues, whereas "the total food market by comparison has grown by just over 15 per cent over the last decade".
"We have seen strong growth in the sector over the last four or five years," says Padraig Brennan, senior business analyst with An Bord Bia. "We want to keep abreast of this as there is definite potential in the sector". The board is currently updating its study from 2000 in order to understand the changes in the market and consumer attitudes.
One Irish organic food company which reflects the European trend is the yoghurt and milk producer, Glenisk. Managing director, Vincent Cleary says that the company's decision to convert to organic in 1995 has been "good for business and good for the farmers supplying us".
"In the last 12 months, Glenisk has grown by 50 per cent. We have approximately 25 farmers from Kerry to Wexford supplying us and the number is growing on an annual basis," he says.
Although a recent Teagasc survey showed that only 2 per cent of farmers are considering converting to organic farming, this would triple the number involved in organic production, as the junior Minister for Agriculture, Noel Treacy, pointed out at the launch of the National Steering Group for the Organic Sector last December. He also pointed out that another report by the Organic Development Committee from earlier in 2002 estimated that 3 per cent of land would be in organic production by 2006.
But even with this significant increase in acreage under organic certification, the Republic will still lag far behind its European neighbours. In 2001, almost 4 per cent of German agricultural land was under organic production and the German government has a goal of increasing this to 20 per cent within a decade. Currently Austria and Switzerland have the largest proportion of land being farmed organically, at around 8 per cent, followed by Finland and Denmark at around 6 per cent. According to An Bord Bia's report: "The countries with the highest levels of organic farming tend to be those that have a strong national structure that actively encourages organic farming methods."
Treacy believes that the establishment of a national steering committee for the organic sector "will help to keep us all focused on Organic Food and Farming. I can assure you that we in the department will continue to give every support we can to enable the sector to fulfil its potential."
However, the probability that the national Agricultural and Food Development Authority, Teagasc, will close its only organic agriculture college as part of a €15 million annual cutback in its funding by the Department of Agriculture has left many in the sector doubting the Government's commitment to supporting the organic sector.
Mellows Agricultural College in Athenry, Co Galway, has spent the past three years converting its 230-acre farm to organic production. Last year, the college offered introductory courses in organic farming, with plans for a full-time course to begin this autumn.
There are only two other colleges providing courses in organic farming - the Organic College in Drumcolliher, Co Limerick, and the Organic Centre in Rossinver, Co Leitrim - but neither are state-backed.
Jim McNamara, director of the college in Limerick says he is appalled by the news of the possible closure. "To consider cutting the single area in agriculture which is growing and which has internationally recognised quality assurance through the organic symbol demonstrates a clear lack of long-term vision for agriculture," he says.
Cleary also feels that closure of the college would have "negative implications for the diversification of agriculture in this country. I'd be more than alarmed to see Teagasc closing down Mellows as an agricultural education centre".
"The college is providing a great service," says Ruane, who completed the introductory course before Christmas.
"Organics is a new area that needs to be developed. If you don't have a college to back it up what chance does it have?" Dearbhla O'Donoghue also completed the introductory course at Mellows college last year, after giving up her career as a lecturer in German and economics to set up an organics enterprise. She says she is "very disappointed" at the possible closure and that "such a possibility would not have happened in an equivalent area of growth \ in an Institute of Technology".
Both Irish certifiers of organic produce - the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers' Association (IOFGA) and the Organic Trust - are totally opposed to the closure of the college.
"It's a scandal to pull money out of places like Mellows college," says John Normanly, former secretary of IOFGA, who is currently working with the University of Wales on an EU-funded project, Organic Marketing Initiatives and Rural Development, involving all EU members and four non-members. He points out that Wales has a national target to have 10 per cent of agricultural land under organic production by 2006, whereas no target exists for the Republic.
"The state needs to pump money into organic farming, not close the only state-backed organic college.," he says.
A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture said the possible closure of Mellows college was "an operational issue for Teagasc".
A spokesman for Teagasc said that no formal proposals had been made to the Teagasc board about the closure of Mellows college but that the board will be making decisions about possible means of cutting expenditure at its meeting tomorrow.
