Agri Pilot Programme News Today

May 11, 2021 3:09 pm The fact that the Organic Farming Scheme has been “substantially undersubscribed” in the latest call for applications “must serve as a wake-up call that more needs to be done to entice farmers to switch to organic methods”. The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) organics chair Fergal Byrne has said it is clear that the sector “is being failed at a time when we should be doing everything in our powers to make organic farming a more viable option ...

May 7, 2021 11:16 am The work and expense involved in converting to and maintaining an organic farm needs to be better recognised according to Nigel Renaghan, who responded to the news of a “low” uptake of this year’s Organic Farming Scheme. The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) Organics Project Team chairman is questioning whether the juice is worth the squeeze with this scheme. This week, ‘Pilgrim farmers’ of the Organic Farming Scheme When opening the scheme, Minister of State Pi...

April 29, 2021 5:13 pm The exclusion of organic farmers from the Rural Environmental-Agri Pilot Programme (REAP) “sends the wrong message”, according to one farm organisation. The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) argued that it was a “step in the wrong direction” not to include farmers in the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS). Fergal Byrne, the ICSA organics chairperson, said today (Thursday, April 29): “We cannot continue to send out a message that those doing most for...