Organic Farming Scheme

The Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) provides financial support to farmers to encourage them to produce organic food.

Organic food is food produced using organic farming practices, such as:

• Avoiding using synthetic fertilisers and pesticides
• Not using genetically modified organisms
• Following the highest standards of animal welfare

The scheme also aims to reduce the environmental impact of farming and improve animal welfare.

The scheme started in 2024 and runs for 5 years. It is available to farmers who farm organic livestock or crops.

The amount you get is based on the amount of land you farm organically and what you produce.

The Organic Farming Scheme is currently closed to new applicants.

1. Research organic farming

You should research the type of organic farming you hope to do and find out if it is suitable for you and your farm. If you will be organic farming for the first time, it might mean significant changes to the way you currently farm.

Gov.ie has useful information about organic farming, including how to convert to organic production methods.

If you are not already certified as organic, the first 2 years of the scheme count as a conversion period and you get higher payments during this time.

2. Register with an Organic Certification Body

You should register with an Organic Certification Body (OCB). This involves:

• Applying to an OCB
• Completing a conversion plan
• Having an inspection

Once you are certified as organic, you will have yearly inspections from the OCB.

There are 2 organic certification bodies in Ireland:

• Irish Organic Association
• Organic Trust

3. Complete an approved training course

You will have to complete an approved training course. This is a 25 hour, QQI Level 5 course on organic farming principles. This course is available from the National Organic Training (NOTS) or Teagasc.

You can apply for the scheme before you complete the approved course. But, you will have to upload your completion certificate on the online OFS application system by 1 October 2024. Otherwise, you will not qualify for payment.

If you apply as part of a joint application of a Farm Partnership, only one person needs to complete the course.

4. Apply for the Organic Farming Scheme

You apply to the Organic Farming Scheme with your Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS) application. You can access this on agfood.ie. See ‘How do I apply for the Organic Farming Scheme’ below.

5. Become organic

Once you have been accepted onto the scheme, you can only buy organic or in-conversion stock for land which you are farming organically.

If you already own animals, these cannot become organic. However, once you have progressed through the in-conversion phase, the offspring of these animals will be organic.

Your farm will only reach organic status after the 2-year conversion period. This period can be extended if you do not comply with organic standards. This is monitored by the OCB. After the conversion period, you can advertise and sell products as organic.

You can find organic livestock, seeds, fodder and other organic produce on the Organic Trading Hub.

Converting part of your farm for organic farming

You don’t have to convert your entire farm to organic farming. You can convert part of it so long as you:

• Use different species or varieties of crops to make sure that organic and non-organic crops can be told apart
• Use different species of livestock to make sure that organic and non-organic livestock can be told apart

To qualify for the Organic Farming Scheme, you must:

• Produce livestock or crops that meet EU organic standards
• Complete an approved training course. If you have already completed an approved course for another scheme, this will be accepted. Your course certificate should be uploaded as part of your online application.
• Be an active farmer
• Be 18 or older
• Register with an Organic Certification Body and be approved as an organic operator

Your farm must:

• Have at least 3 hectares that you can farm organically, or 1 hectare if you are a horticultural producer. At least 50% of the horticultural hectare must contain crops each year. If you farm less than 1 hectare of horticulture, your application may be considered if you can prove that you are managing a commercial enterprise.
• Be farmed and managed by you for the length of the scheme

What land doesn’t qualify for the scheme?

Some land does not qualify for the Organic Farm Scheme including:

• Conventional (non-organic) land
• Commonage (this is land which is owned by a group of people or by one person over which other persons have rights)
• Grazing rights
• Rented land
• Forestry (However, there are some exceptions to this, see Section 13 of OFC 2024 Terms and Conditions (pdf).
• Farmyards
• Farm roadways
• Other non-organic productive land

There are different payment rates depending on:

• The type of farming you do
• The amount of land you farm organically
• How long you are in the scheme

The amount you get is shown in the table below.

Participation payment

You get a participation payment to cover administrative costs as well as your per hectare payments. This is €2,000 for your first year of converting to organics and €1,400 for each subsequent year of the contract.

This payment is incorporated into your annual OFS payment.

Can I add or remove land from my OFS contract?

Yes, you can add or remove land from your OFS contract after your contact has started. So, if you buy land during the contract, you can add it to the scheme and get paid for it.

You can add land that is already fully converted to organics in any year of your contract. However, you can only add land that still has to be converted to organics during the first 4 years of the OFS contract.

You must add the land to your organic licence before 1 January of the year you want to include it. You must also declare it on your BISS application. You will not be paid for part of a year.

If you are reducing the land you have in the OFS scheme, your annual payment will be reduced to reflect this. In general, if you have already been paid for an area that is being removed, you will have to pay this back with interest.

This will not apply in certain circumstances, for example, if you retire from farming and have completed 3 years on the scheme.

How do I get my payments?

To get your OFS payments, you must make a payment claim before the BISS deadline each year. This is done through your BISS application online at agfood.ie. You will only be paid for the land you have registered on your BISS application as ‘organic’ or ‘in-conversion’.

To qualify for the in-conversion rate of payment for the maximum 2 years, you must apply for the scheme within 4 months of getting your organic licence.

What happens if I do not follow the rules of the scheme?

If you do not comply with the terms and conditions of the scheme, you can be penalised:

• You can be removed from the scheme
• You can be banned from the scheme for up to 5 years
• You may have to return the money you got including any interest. These refunds can be deducted from your future payments for this scheme or other EU financed schemes.

Appealing a decision

If you are penalised for not complying with the rules of the scheme, you can appeal this decision. You can do this by writing to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine outlining the reasons why the penalty should not be applied. You must do this within 10 working days of getting the formal notification about the penalty. You will get the decision about your appeal in writing.

The Organic Farming Scheme is currently closed to new applicants.

When applications are open, you apply to the Organic Farming Scheme through your Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS) application, which can be accessed on agfood.ie. In your BISS application, you declare the land parcels that will be part of the OFS as either ‘in-conversion’ or ‘organic’.

Gov.ie have a useful step-by-step guide (pdf) to help you complete your application.

You can also get a Farm Advisory System (FAS) approved advisor to apply for OFS and other farming grants for you. A FAS advisor is someone who is qualified to give farmers advice on a range of topics, including applying for grants and schemes. You will have to pay the FAS advisor for this service. You can find a list of farm advisors on gov.ie.

If you have queries about the scheme, you can email organic@agriculture.gov.ie or call 053 9163425.

The Organic Trust and the Irish Organic Association have useful information about organic certification and converting to organic farming.

For information on farming schemes, you can contact your local office of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine or Teagasc.

You can find a list of farm advisors on gov.ie.