A dramatic increase in funding for organic farmers will see 68 local farmers benefit from additional funds.
€5.5 million will arrive in the bank accounts of 1,200 organic farmers across the country this week, with almost €320,000 allocated to farmers in Galway.
Green Party Senator Pauline O’Reilly said that the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) has been a huge success resulting in an increase of nearly 50% on the hectarage under organic production since the start of the scheme in 2014.
“This is great news for biodiversity and carbon emissions and is being led by increased consumer demand for organic products,” she said.
An additional €4 million provided for in Budget 21 by Minister Pippa Hackett will support a further 400 to 500 more farmers to go organic in 2021.
“My experience is that farmers want to have a sustainable future and to invest in Green agriculture, but they need financial support,” said Senator O’Reilly.
“The work of organic farmers is crucial to the health of soil and to biodiversity. Getting started is one of the challenges and this additional funding will ensure that we will start to see more organic farms and more of this local food on our shelves and in our local markets.”
