How does Organic Fare in Department's Rural Development Plans?

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How does Organic Fare in Department's Rural Development Plans?

IOFGA AGM this coming Tuesday will cover lots of the topics in this feature: do come!

According to the recent Rural Development announcement by the Department of Agriculture:

Organic Farming Scheme to be continued.

Core requirements for organic farmers would be the same as for those in GLAS, with Organics incorporated into GLAS as a priority environmental action (Commission approval needed).

Organic farmers meeting existing requirements under the rural development regulation would top-up payments by complying with other GLAS criteria.

GLAS is the new agri-environmental scheme for the conventional sector, essentially following on from REPS and AEOS.

Sources in the organic sector have informed me, however, that there is no guarantee that the organic farming scheme (OFS) will be open to new applicants for 2014: the OFS could be “continued” as farmers are currently in contracts, without necessarily any new opening of the Scheme for 2014. Nevertheless, nothing in the Department's statements suggests closing the scheme to new applicants in 2014.

The Department have also opted to implement the EIP – European Innovation Platform. This could well be good news for the organic sector. Organic farming is in the top tier of payments under the EIP. What this means is that draw downs from Europe by the Department will be up to 80% for initiatives in the organic farming area.

The function of the EIP is for broad based operational groups to be formed to problem solve, according to the Rural Development Regulation. The exact wording is as follows:

“The EIP for agricultural productivity and sustainability shall:

(a) promote a resource efficient, economically viable, productive, competitive, low emission, climate friendly and resilient agricultural and forestry sector, progressing towards agro-ecological production systems and working in harmony with the essential natural resources on which farming and forestry depend;

(b) help deliver a steady and sustainable supply of food, feed and biomaterials, both existing and new ones;

(d) build bridges between cutting-edge research knowledge and

technology and farmers, forest managers, rural communities, businesses, NGOs and advisory services.”

In May 2013 Member States reiterated their recognition of the “innovative dynamism and potential of the organic sector” and their commitment to support its development in the EIP.

Also in May, The Council of the European Union, called on Member States and the European Commission to “continue to recognise and encourage the innovative dynamism and potential of the organic sector and support relevant research and innovation, in particular within the framework of the European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs).”

The Strategic Implementation Plan of the EIP 'Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability' (High-Level Steering Board), adopted, in June 2013, states the following:

“In cases where maintaining and enhancing the environment and ecosystem services can be associated with particular production methods such as organic agriculture leading to a premium price at the market, the uptake of such production methods should be facilitated.”

(Also see here for the origins of EIP: sufficiency paradigm and the 3rd SCAR report)

However there is, in Origin Green, Bord Bia Quality Assured Ireland, a caveat. From the Department's perspective, huge tracts of Irish agri-food can somehow fit into this top tier of payments anyway.

The next round of the Rural Development Consultation lists the following:

“MS (Member States) can stipulate that the operational groups focus on particular areas. It is proposed that 2 areas could form the basis for ‘flagship EIPs’

a. EIP based on a specific output based locally led agri-environment projects.

b. EIP based on beef data and genomics improvement.”

(underline added)

With creative thinking and organisation, the former, but also the latter, could be worked on by organic farming focused operational groups. Locally led agri-environment projects must surely be of interest to organisations like the Leitrim Organic Farmers Co-op, regional organic producer groups, beef technology groups with a majority of organic producers in it, the Irish Organic Milk Producers etc.

A range of knowledge transfer groups are also listed in order of priority in this consultation. Heading used are generic (e.g. dairy expanders and new entrants) rather than organic-specific. However organic specific groups could continue or form in dairy, beef etc under the knowledge transfer or EIP umbrella.

Now is a great time for the organic movement to organise itself and turn this EU initiative into a way to develop the organic sector.

See Rural Development Consultation and supporting documents here (ends February 19th, get your skates on!)

EIP is relaly worth exploring further. As EIP was developed with organic farming in mind, shouldn't organic farming of and in itself get some of these problem solving supports?Those in or supportive of the organic sector could make this suggestion as a modest amendment to the RD plan. There are production/supply/research as well as marketing/information problems to be overcome for the sector. Partnerships - Operational Groups - could be formed which bring together producers, researchers, marketing experts, training organisations and more to help develop the organic sector. After all, EIP is expressly about partnerships coming together to solve problems in a way that leads towards agro-ecological production systems.

Arc2020.eu, whom I now also work for, state the following:

ARC recommendation: EIP operational groups are a key instrument to foster agro-ecological innovations among groups of farmers, researchers, SMEs, NGOs. NGOs may convince their national or regional authorities to take this opportunity that favour an agro-ecological transition. Art. 61 mentions the use of EIP for promoting agro-ecological production systems such as organic farming; NGOs are mentioned as one of the target groups.

And see here for full IFOAM TP Orgnaics ARC2020 guide to EIP implementation

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