Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Pippa Hackett has encouraged farmers to consider attending some of the upcoming organic farm walks over the next three months.

The organic farm walks, which are funded by the DAFM and organised by Teagasc, allow experienced organic operators to showcase their enterprise to other farmers considering transitioning.

There are nine organic farm walks taking place over the course of May, June and July, which will cover the beef, cereal, horticulture, sheep and poultry sectors.

The aim of the events is to facilitate knowledge sharing between hosts and attendees, and to highlight direct selling opportunities that accompany this type of farming.

The upcoming events follow three similar ones that took place earlier this year, which were "well attended" according to Minister Hackett.

Ireland is aiming to increase the amount of land under organics to align with the EU average of 7.5% over the course of the current government's term. The upcoming Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is set to include supports to work towards this including funding of €256 million.

Last month (April), there was a 20% increase in the number of applications received for the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS).

The scheme closed on Friday, April 22, at which time there were 380 new applicants, an increase of almost a fifth on 2021 numbers. However, it will reopen to applicants again in October.

Minister Hackett concluded by saying that many new entrants to the scheme have credited the organic farm walks they attended in playing a key part in their decision to convert.