Things are proceeding apace in areas of agriculture which are not affected by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. The organic sector is one of them.
East Cork Area Development, the Leader administration body for the region, has just announced the results of a survey which shows that, while there is huge potential, organic farming in Ireland is under-achieving.
There are more than 140,000 farms in Ireland but only 1,000 organic producers. While 28 per cent of people now buy organic food at least once a month, 70 per cent of all organic food consumed in Ireland is imported, according to the survey.
"Organic farming should be seen as a component of mainstream agriculture. It does not undermine mainstream farming and, overall, we have the safest food in Europe," Mr Noel Davern, Minister of State for Agriculture, said.
ECAD believes organic farming has huge potential for development and says that the opportunities should be grasped.
Mr Ryan Howard, chief executive officer, said price was not a major consideration for those who bought organic food.
People saw it as a lifestyle choice and were happy to pay more for what they believed to be better-quality, healthy food, grown in an environmentally friendly way.