The Organic Farming Scheme opened on February 9th to new applications. In an announcement made by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Senator Pippa Hackett, it was revealed that the budget for 2022 has been increased by a further €5M for new entrants. The total budget available for 2022 is €21M. The closing date for applications is April 8th 2022.
The Organic Farming Scheme is an agri-environment measure under Ireland’s Rural Development Programme. Eligible farmers entering into contracts could qualify for yearly payments of up to €220 per hectare during the period of conversion and up to €170 per hectare when they have achieved full organic status. Higher rates of payment are available for organic horticultural and tillage farmers. There are approximately 90,000 hectares nationwide currently under organic production.
There are two changes to the 2022 scheme year:
- The Maximum area at full rate of payment will increase from 60ha to 70ha.
- In previous years, applicants had to meet a required stocking rate of 0.5 Livestock Units (LU)/ha to receive a full payment. This has now been reduced to 0.15LU/Ha in line with the stocking rate required for Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme. Farmers not reaching this level will receive a pro-rata payment.
See here for more information.
