IOFGA also welcomed Minister McEntee’s comments when he stated that “big retailers need to show more respect for producers if the Irish horticultural sector is to survive”. It is disheartening to see major retailers selling seasonal vegetables as lost leaders to get people into their shops. This practice was widely adopted before Christmas, and to a commercial grower the notion that vegetables such as Brussels sprouts (which take 6 months to grow!) were selling for as little as 22c a bag is quite insulting.

While the good news story last week was the €8.9billion in food exports sold in 2011 by Irish food and drink companies, we also need to acknowledge that in the same period we spent €1billion on importing fruit and vegetables into Ireland. This includes a figure of €100m on apples which could easily be grown in Ireland. Growing fruit and vegetables for a living is tough work however steps need to be taken to reduce the dependence on imports in order to become more sustainable in horticultural production. In light of this measures such as this grant aid scheme are welcome in order to achieve that.

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For more information please contact

Grace Maher, Development Officer IOFGA,

Tel 087 6125989, grace.maher@iofga.org, www.iofga.org

Notes to editor:

1.Details of the scheme and application forms can be obtained from Crop Policy, Production and Safety Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Administration Building, Backweston Campus, Young’s Cross, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, (01) 5058886 or at http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments/horticultureschemes/  The closing date for receipt of applications is 10th February 2012 and only investments commenced after the issue of letters of approval will be eligible for aid.

2.IOFGA are the largest certification body in Ireland and are responsible for certifying the organic provenance of its members produce and the IOFGA symbol indicates that a product has met the highest standard of organic integrity. IOFGA also works to inform the public about the benefits of organic food and to support the development of organic food production in Ireland. For more information please see www.iofga.org

So it appears that even in recessionary times people are buying organic, why? Most regular organic shoppers realise that there is not a huge cost differential in buying organic food and if you buy in season and directly from the producer it may even be cheaper than non organic equivalents! Taste and quality are one reason why shoppers return again and again to organic products.

An important issue for some organic consumers this year will be that by buying certified organic they are ensuring that their turkey and ham have not been fed any GM ingredients! Animals on an organic farm have been raised to the highest animal welfare standards which is also a big plus for some organic shoppers.

If the stable ingredients in your shopping trolley are fresh, unprocessed food then consider going organic for competitive value on price, quality and taste!

In the EU the term organic is legally binding when it comes to food so if it says organic on the label then it must carry a certification logo such as IOFGA’s. If it is prepacked then it must also contain the EU organic logo. That is the customers guarantee that it has met the organic standards.

But what sets organic food apart from non organic food is really how it is produced. Organic food and farming does not allow the use of artificial pesticides (including herbicides, fungicides and insecticides). Organic food does not contain any GM ingredients. Meat and animal products coming from an organic farm follow the highest animal welfare standards in agriculture. Organic food is climate friendly. These farming methodologies are enshrined in organic farming standards and food carrying an organic logo must be produced adhering to these standards.

Any other benefits to organic food are purely subjective such as observations that organic food has a better taste and flavour, organic food is fresher. It is true that organic food particularly fresh produce has a shorter shelf life but that is because nothing can be added to it to extend its shelf life!

Therefore as National Organic Week approaches with many organic products being promoted be aware of what you are buying and what exactly organic food is (or isn’t!). There is a greater availability of Irish organic products now available which reflects the growing interest in organic food in Ireland.

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For more information please contact

Grace Maher

Development Officer IOFGA

Tel 087 6125989 grace.maher@iofga.org

www.iofga.org

Note to editors:

Attached please find below a copy of the IOFGA organic certification logo in black and white and a copy of the EU organic logo in green.

IOFGA are the largest certification body in Ireland and are responsible for certifying the organic provenance of its members produce and the IOFGA symbol indicates that a product has met the highest standard of organic integrity. IOFGA also works to inform the public about the benefits of organic food and to support the development of organic food production in Ireland.

“We are delighted that Minister Coveney is highlighting Ireland’s green credentials as one of the major objectives in developing the agricultural sector in Ireland” said Dr. Sinead Neiland, Chairperson of IOFGA. “We are also optimistic that it shows higher commitment to the development of the organic sector here. Sales for organic produce are increasing both at home and abroad this is extremely encouraging and illustrates that we need more Irish organic products to meet market demands. Organic food is the ultimate “green sustainable food” and Irish organic products are in demand globally. This is an excellent opportunity for the organic sector to shine and we look forward to working with the Minister to achieve this”.

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IOFGA certifies 1,250 organic producers, processors and retailers throughout Ireland.

For more information please contact

Grace Maher

Development Officer IOFGA

Tel 087 6125989

www.iofga.org

Click here to download a copy of the Food Harvest 2020 Milestones Report  FoodHarvestProgressReport260711

New research just published by ecologists at Trinity College Dublin, has shown that organic farming benefits insect biodiversity, insect-flower interactions and pollination of wild plants.

The study by PhD student Eileen Power and principal investigator Dr Jane Stout, Senior Lecturer at the School of Natural Sciences at TCD, was published in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

The TCD research demonstrated that insect-flower interaction networks on organic farms were larger, and that there were more flowers on organic farms which attracted a higher number of bees, compared with non-organic and conventional counterparts.

According to the National Biodiversity Data Centre in 2010 the goods and services provided by biodiversity are estimated to contribute a minimum of €2.6 billion per annum to the Irish economy[1]. Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and tourism depend to a large extent on this natural capital and therefore it is essential to preserve and enhance it.

Pat Mulrooney one of the farmers whose organic dairy farm was used for the research was delighted with the results “It verifies my own personal observations over the years as an organic farmer. We began exploring organic farming in the mid 1970’s and obtained organic certification with IOFGA in 1987. I have noticed a cumulative build up of species diversity on the farm and now this research confirms that we made the right choice to farm organically. We now know that the ecosystem on our farm is healthier and additional research on organic milk is also showing that organic milk is healthier for humans than non-organic milk so it is a win-win scenario. We need to have more organic farmers in Ireland producing food which sustains all species”.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01949.x/abstract

The results of this study are welcomed by the organic sector in Ireland. “Nutrition is one of the reasons that people buy organic said Grace Maher Development Officer with IOFGA, however other key reasons include the fact that organic food is free from pesticides and gm ingredients, it has higher animal welfare standards and its production methods are more environmentally friendly.”

This research challenges the Food Standards Agency in the UK who have in the past dismissed the nutritional benefits of organic food.

The Newcastle scientists found that organic fruit and vegetables are up to 12% richer in substances called secondary metabolites, these are said to boost the immune system and protect the body from cell damaging free radicals. Organic fruit and vegetables were also recorded to have 6% higher levels of vitamin C.

The study also suggests that eating organic food is likely to improve your overall general health as it also contains higher levels of compounds which encourage the body to burn fat.

The Newcastle study will be published in the next issue of the journal Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences.

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EU consumers have continually stated that they do not wish to have GM ingredients in the human food chain. The fact that the EU (now supported by the Irish government) is bowing to pressure from the GM multi-nationals (mainly based in the US) does not bode well for EU consumers. “Public opinion needs to be listened to and policy makers need to implement legislation which reflects the wishes of the people not the multi-nationals otherwise Europe and its 27 members cannot call itself a true democracy” said Grace Maher Development Officer with IOFGA.

In the past number of years policy in Ireland has been moving to introduce stricter laws on the use of GM feed and by-products and also to introduce a GM free label for livestock products fed on a non GM diet. Farmers and producers are supplying consumer demand both in Ireland and abroad for non GM products. In a time when exports from the agricultural sector are being sold as the major success story of the Irish economy for 2010 the move today by an outgoing Minister seriously threatens the thriving export market for both organic and conventional beef and lamb producers in Ireland.

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The Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA) is the largest organic certification organisation in Ireland representing approx 1,150 farmers, growers and processors. It is responsible for certifying the organic provenance of its members produce and the IOFGA symbol indicates that a product has met the highest standard or organic integrity.

For more information contact

Grace Maher Development Officer IOFGA Tel 087 6125989

Following the macro to the micro John Liston from the Irish Milk Producers Group illustrated the potential opportunities in the organic sector in Ireland. John detailed how 20 organic dairy farmers have come together with the aim of securing the supply chain and having a greater input into marketing their own high quality products. “The future is bright for dynamic organic farmers who want to deliver quality goods to consumers, by working collectively we have shown that it is possible for farmers to not only produce high quality goods but to ensure that we have control over how that product reaches the consumer which is very important”.

Dr. Tracey Larkin from LIT, was enthusiastic about research conducted on Irish organic milk which will further support research coming from the UK on the nutritional benefits of organic milk. She illustrated the extensive resources that LIT have available to carry out a range of research on the properties of organic food which is good news for all in the organic sector and for consumers of organic food.

The IOFGA AGM took place in the afternoon and two new directors were elected onto the Board. Desmond Thorpe is an organic farmer and grower from Wexford and Sean Clancy, Clanwood Farm is a beef farmer from Offaly. Both of the new directors host open days during the summer as part of the Teagasc Demonstration Organic Farm programme.

For more information please contact

Grace Maher

Development Officer IOFGA

Tel 087 6125989

1. Christopher Stopes is a consultant who has 25 years experience working the organic sector in the UK. He works on CAP Reform as part of the IFOAM group and he currently serving as the EU IFOAM President. He can be contacted on

c.stopes@ecosconsultancy.co.uk

2. John Liston is an organic farmer from Croom in Limerick who has been certified organic since 2006. His main enterprises are dairy and beef production. He is one of the founding members of the Irish Organic Milk Producers and John is responsible for research and development for the producer group. John can be contacted at jliston@O2.ie

3. Dr Larkin is lecturing at the Limerick Institute of Technology and is involved in research with Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre. Dr Larkin’s research now focuses on analysis of antioxidants/bio-actives in foods and has an IRCSET funded project to investigate organic fruits and vegetables. Dr Larkin is also involved in sensory evaluation and shelf life studies for a variety of food types/products with regional food producers.  Dr Larkin can be contacted at tracey.larkin@lit.ie

“The number of organic producers continues to increase steadily here in Ireland however it is still not on par with the volume of organic food consumed here. Sales of organic food continue to grow even in these difficult times. To date in the last quarter of 2010 sales are up considerably on the same period last year” said Grace Maher, Development Officer with IOFGA.

IOFGA said that consumers are still seeking out organic food in large numbers however people are also demanding that organic food is produced locally. In light of this it is essential that the government continues to support the development of the organic sector so that more organic food consumed in Ireland is produced in Ireland. We need to reduce our dependence on imported organic food. There is a strong market for Irish organic food both here in Ireland and abroad, farmers need to take up the challenge to produce for this growing market.

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For more Information contact

Grace Maher

Development Officer IOFGA

Tel 087 6125989

2010 was a year of duplicities, in the past 50 years it was one of the of the warmest years on record however we also recorded the lowest temperatures on record in some areas around the country and we have seen heavy snow falls for the second time this year in the past week. In Ireland we need to examine strategies to mitigate climate change. There is a growing awareness of the importance of the role of the agricultural sector in how we mitigate climate change. Within the EU the food that we eat represents nearly a third of our climate footprint as consumers.[1]

“Farming will have a crucial role to play in climate change mitigation and adaption. Organic farming is a solution multiplier. It emits less carbon as it uses fewer inputs and sequesters higher carbon in soils, while delivering better results in biodiversity conservation, animal welfare and soil conservation” stated Grace Maher, Development Officer with IOFGA. “Business as usual is not an option, agriculture must play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Irish government must ensure that the potentials for mitigation from agriculture with particular reference to organic farming are on the agenda for discussion in Cancun” she stated.

The Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA) is the largest organic certification organisation in Ireland. It is responsible for certifying the organic provenance of its members produce and the IOFGA symbol indicates that a product has met the highest standard of organic integrity. IOFGA also works to inform the public about the benefits or organic food and to support the development of organic food production in Ireland.