AS THE Department of Agriculture announced a major review of the organic farming scheme here, the largest organic farming group has said smaller farmers should escape the cuts to agriculture spending.
The 1,000 member Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association said cuts, if essential, should be informed by a vision for the future shape of rural Ireland.
The association said it “believes that the growing economic consequences of climate change, peak oil and environmental regulation will make both smaller holdings and organic farming more and more viable in the future.”
“Government policy should aim to work with these broader global trends to ensure a vibrant rural economy in the coming years. In this respect, cutbacks to environmental schemes like Reps (Rural Environmental Protection Scheme) and to supports for the organic sector seem particularly unwise,” the association said in a statement.
The potential role of agriculture in the economy should be taken into account before making cuts, the association said.
“Agriculture can play an important role in rebalancing the economy away from an excessive dependence on multinational investment and the property sector,” it said.
“Any cutbacks in spending on agriculture to be structured so as to protect small farmers. The current proposals in the McCarthy report for a reduction in Reps and the Disadvantaged Area Scheme will result in a serious loss of income for many smaller farmers with low incomes,” the statement continued.
“If savings are required from the sector they could perhaps be achieved by capping the amount that any individual farmer can receive under the Single Farm Payment at say €50,000 and redistributing the money saved to support the current Reps scheme,” it said.
Association head Kate Carmody said the economic crisis provided a real opportunity to develop a new vision for agriculture in Ireland.
“We must rebalance our economy in a more sustainable way and agriculture can play a key role in that particularly by focusing on areas of growing consumer demand such as organics,” she said . . . The current plan to cut Reps will result in a serious loss of income for many smaller farmers with low incomes,” she said. Minister for Food Trevor Sargent said public submissions on organic farming should be sent to organics@agriculture.gov.ie by September 4th.