Why is Ireland still playing catch-up with the rest of Europe on organic farming, asks Sylvia Thompson.
Organic farming has attracted very few farmers in Ireland over the past two decades despite the huge growth in organic farming elsewhere in Europe, Australia and now even in China. Although there has been a 15 per cent increase in land farmed organic in the last year, Ireland has one of the lowest percentages of organically farmed land in Europe. Less than 1 per cent of land is farmed organically here compared with an average of 21 per cent of agricultural land farmed organically across Europe.
Why have Irish farmers been so slow to convert to organic farming? Why has a country renowned for its green image not embraced organic practices as demand for organic produce continues to grow? Tipperary-based German organic farmer Josef Finke believes that the love-hate relationship that many Irish farmers have with the land has been one of the reasons why Ireland has such a poor percentage of land farmed organically.
Finke says: "This love-hate relationship with farming was because many farmers couldn't generate a proper income from their farms. To be an organic farmer, you need to cherish what you've got and what it can mean to you."
He adds: "In Ireland, the farming culture was if you grow something you get rid of it to the co-op. But if you look at the level of commercial activity (for example, meat is smoked on-site, jams and brandies are made in farm buildings) on organic farms in Switzerland, you'll see the difference in approach."
Finke's 280-acre farm in Cahir, Co Tipperary, was one of the first organic farms in Ireland. As part of the exodus of people from mainland Europe to Ireland in the early 1980s, he and others like him brought their continental zeal about chemical-free lifestyles and organic farming to Ireland.
Initially, the Finke farm was virtually self-sufficient, with the main emphasis on growing organic cereals and producing organic wool. Lately, Finke has become an outspoken critic of the lack of real support for organic producers in Ireland.
He also believes the trend towards part-time farming works against organic farming, which often requires a greater level of commitment than conventional farming.
Helen Scully, of Organic Trust, says that organic production was first legislated for in 1992 in Europe, which gave impetus to a lot of European countries to develop organic food production. In Ireland, State support for organic farming has developed only in the past 10 years or so.
More recently, the establishment of the organic unit in the Department of Agriculture and Food, and the setting up of the National Steering Group for the Organic Sector, following the publication of the Organic Development Committee report in 2002, have been the most serious steps forward for organic farming to date.
Scully says: "The Department of Agriculture supports the sector quite well now, although we are still playing catch-up with the rest of Europe." The Organic Trust represents about 300 organic farmers and growers and 100 organic processors and has seen a 30 per cent increase in membership this year - the highest increase in five years.
PASCAL GILLARD, THE certification manager of the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA), says that about 150 new farmers have joined IOFGA this year, bringing membership to approximately 850. The Department of Agriculture also reported an increase of 15 per cent of land area farmed organically in the past year and a 10 per cent increase in organic farmers.
Gillard says: "We noted a huge growth in the level of interest at our tent at the National Ploughing Championships this year." He believes that conventional farmers are now looking to niche markets - and with forthcoming changes to the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme, farmers will be allowed to farm parts of their land organically.
"The main challenge is the lack of development of organic farming in the tillage sector," says Gillard. "You need to be a skilled farmer to grow cereals, and to grow cereals organically requires very different practices. In conventional farming, cereals are force-fed with nitrogen, which makes them more susceptible to disease and therefore treated more heavily with chemicals to prevent such diseases taking hold." However, Gillard says many conventional farmers have been impressed with yields from organically grown wheat in the midlands.
Tony Reid from the Department of Agriculture's organic unit says that the department is "fully committed to organic farming". Writing in the special issue of Organic Matters magazine, published this week to coincide with National Organic Week, he says that organic farming fits into the European model of agriculture in which food production is only one of a number of elements. "The environment, landscape, water quality and biodiversity are now equally important, as is the preservation of rural communities," he writes.
THE JOINT INITIATIVE between organic associations, the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc to have open days on organic farms has proved very popular. And more than 1,000 farmers have visited working organic farms through this initiative over the last two years. The Department of Agriculture initiative to bring in experts in organic farming from Britain has also met with the approval of organic certification bodies.
Such attention to organic farming in Ireland comes at a time when consumer interest in organic produce is at an all-time high. Lucie Kennedy is the conference director of a one-day All-Ireland Organic Food Conference in Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, on Tuesday. She says: "The consumer demand for organic produce (sales of organic food rose from €38 million in 2003 to €66 million in 2005) has never been higher, and it's important that we can stimulate the production of organic food in Ireland to meet that demand." The conference will hear about forthcoming initiatives such as the National Organic Marketing Plan, co-ordinated by An Bord Bia. Organic producers will also discuss why most of the organic produce on sale in supermarkets in Ireland is imported.
Kennedy says: "Distribution of organic produce from Irish producers is a problem, as the cost of transporting goods around the country is prohibitive. Producers need to get together to form distribution networks." Sourcing organic ingredients for speciality products, such as organic oats for porridge, is also a challenge for many organic producers in Ireland.
The unwillingness of Irish restaurants to include organic food on their menus will be also be discussed at the conference. Neven Maguire, owner of MacNean Bistro in Blacklion, Co Cavan, and Noel McMeel, head chief at Castle Leslie, Co Monaghan, will look at how chefs and producers can plan in advance to put food that is in season on menus and how restaurants can introduce some organic produce onto their menus without becoming fully certified organic restaurants.
FOOD MILES IS another issue that is exercising the minds of consumers and producers. The development of farmers' markets - where much of the produce is locally produced but only sometimes organically grown - is testament to the public's desire to have direct contact with growers and producers.
Finke, who now sells organic produce directly to consumers via his website (www.ballybrado.com), believes that consumers need to become much more politicised about food. He says: "There is little interest in food politics in this country and a lot of ignorance. Many non-organic food producers are feeding into that ignorance by faking organic with labels like 'animal-welfare beef' or 'fertiliser-free' vegetables. There is no official body to check such claims and they certainly wouldn't stand up to the standards of the organic industry, which is the highest regulated food industry in Europe."
Finke also uses his website to nurture a love for cooking food in season and to raise awareness of food politics, such as how supermarkets use organic produce to maintain a competitive advantage yet sell organic food at prices that are unsustainable for producers. He says: "Such tactics are not based on true conviction about organic produce. For organic farming to really grow . . . we need to develop critically informed consumers who have a good understanding of the differences between organic and conventional farming practices."
National Organic Week runs from Nov 6 to 12. A special edition of Organic Matters will be available free in supermarkets throughout Ireland during the week. An All-Ireland Organic Food Conference will be held in the Landmark Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, on Tues, Nov 7. The conference is aimed at organic food producers, processors, manufacturers, distributors and others in the retail and restaurant sector. Contact 071-9854014 or lucie@atlanticorganics.com.
The Organic and Green Guide to Ireland 2005-2006 (€12), edited by Siobhán Morris and published by the Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim, is a guide to organic producers, processors, health food shops and food organisations