ANALISIS Y DISCUSION

Prepared by: Santiago Olmos, M.Sc.

Organic Farming Research Unit Institute of Rural Sciences

University of Wales, Aberystwyth Llanbadarn Fawr

Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3AL United Kingdom

14.1 National relevance of organic farming

There were 923 registered organic producers in Ireland in 2002, with 0.7 % of the agricultural land area in organic production. Organic farming is concentrated in the South and West of the country. The total land area under organic management in 2002 was 29,850 hectares, of which 6,418 hectares were in conversion. There were 573 organic beef producers and 23 organic dairy producers in Ireland in 2002. In the same year, only 16% of organic bovine animals were sold as conventional livestock. In 2002 there were 286 organic lamb producers in Ireland; the majority of finished lambs were sold to organic markets, while most store lambs were sold conventionally.

The Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association (IOFGA) is the largest organic association in Ireland with over 650 registered farmers, growers and processors. In addition to being involved in inspection and certification, IOFGA also assists in efforts relating to the promotion and marketing of organic produce. The Organic Trust is another organization which provides inspection and certification services.

According to Bord Bia (Irish Food Board), the market for organic foods in Ireland is estimated to range between £20 and £25 million – under 1% of the total retail food market. Approximately 70% of organic food sold in Ireland is imported. Sales appear to be concentrated in the larger urban areas.

Illustration 14-1: Irish Organic Certification Symbols

Area (Ha) 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 Cork Clar e Limer ick

GalwayLietrim Ke rry Rosc omm on Tippe rary Mayo Wes tmea th Sligo Wick low Meat h Kilda re Wexfo rd Dub lin Offa ly Wat erfor d Kilke nny Cava n Mona ghan Donega l Carlow_Longf ord Laois Louth Area (Ha)

Figure 14-1: Regional distribution of organic production (land area) in Ireland (2002)

14.2 Structure of national statistic/data providers in agriculture Table 14-1: First Stage Questionnaire Responses – Ireland

Type of institution Contacted Responses

Governmental

Semi-governmental 1 1

Non-governmental Private (not for profit) 4 1 Private (for profit)

Total 5 2

The response rate for the first stage questionnaire was of only 40% in Ireland. The two organizations which completed the questionnaire (Teagasc/National Food Centre and IOFGA) are involved in organic data collection on a project-by-project basis, and have declared that they do not have ongoing DCPSs.

Teagasc/National Food Centre is a semi-state organization dedicated to providing research, advisory and training services to the agriculture and food sectors. This organization is a partner in the EU-funded “Conversion” project (5th Framework Research Programme). Irish country reports from that project are available on-line: http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2003/completefinalcompendiumreport.htm and http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/organics/Complete_Final_Marketing_Report.pdf. In the first-stage questionnaire response, Teagasc/National Food Centre indicated that all of its organic data collection is project-dependent – i.e., it only takes place when there are projects relating to the organic sector in progress.

The first-stage questionnaire response submitted by IOFGA indicates that data collection is not a major task of that organization, although it is a certification organization and it does collect data farm-level as well as production, processing, and wholesale/distribution data. IOFGA produces reports which are not available due to privacy/confidentiality issues.

The Organic Farming Unit of the Department of Agriculture and Food collects data on organic farming and has for the first time in 2003 published a Census of Irish Organic Production. This census of organic production in Ireland was carried out as result of a recommendation made by an Organic Development Committee, which is drawn from a wide range of organic sector stakeholders.

Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, is dedicated to developing export markets for Irish food and drink companies. In 2003 Bord Bia produced a report, Prospects for Organic Food in Ireland, which contains key information on consumer issues relating to the Irish organic sector.

Table 14-2: Level of data collection and answers on the first stage questionnaire

Level of data collection First stage questionnaire responses

Farm level 2

Production level 1

Wholesaler / Processor level 2

Trade level 1

Retailer level 1

Consumer level 1

Policy level

14.3 Results of the second stage inquiry

Due to the fact that no responses were received for the second-stage questionnaire, it has not been possible to describe any DCPS from Ireland in detail. The brief description of one DCPS presented below is based on information gathered without use of the questionnaire.

Census of Irish Organic Production

The first Census of Irish Organic Production was conducted in 2003, with the data reflecting the situation as at the end of 2002. The organic census publication reports on numbers of producers and land area on a county-by-county basis, livestock numbers, numbers of livestock sold, and profiles of organic producers (including information on participation in agri-environmental schemes, for example). In addition, producers were asked to identify barriers to expansion of their organic business and the results are included in the report. The report is available on-line: http://www.agriculture.gov.ie/organics/Organic_Census-Launched_9_Oct_03.pdf

15 Italy

Country Report