Ireland

Latest from EU Member States

Ireland’s New Organic Action Plan | Committed – to What?

21 February, 2019 ARC

Like most EU Member States, Ireland periodically develops an action plan for its organic sector. There, a team of stakeholders, drawn from the conventional and organic sectors, as well as representatives of the Irish state’s Department of Agriculture, have developed the Organic Action Plan for Ireland, 2019-2025. Ireland has among the very lowest number of organic farmers, and organic land area, in European organics. So what difference will this plan make? […]

Latest from Brussels

MEPs Mean Business on Live Exports

20 February, 2019 Louise Kelleher

The European Parliament last week called on member states to step up enforcement of existing rules on protecting livestock during transport. MEPs are urging member states to ramp up spot checks, use tracking technology to monitor compliance, and apply tougher penalties for offenders. Transport times should be cut, but the preference is to phase out live exports altogether in favour of local slaughtering. And when animals are transported to non-EU countries, EU standards should be applied. […]

Latest from EU Member States

Ireland | More Organic Producers Would Improve Farming’s Overall Sustainability

14 May, 2018 Oliver Moore

With Ireland edging towards reopening its organic farming scheme – closed since 2015 to new entrants, and closed in 2014 for a year too too – the context of organic farming within the overall agri-food sector is worth exploring. What would it mean for Irish agriculture in general to have a bigger, more vibrant organic sector? Particular attention is paid to the public goods of biodiversity and water quality. […]

Latest from EU Member States

Pressure mounts for opening of Organic Farming Scheme in Ireland

22 February, 2018 ARC

Our own Oliver Moore has been busy in Ireland talking and writing about about the (lack of an) Organic Farming Scheme in recent weeks. He was on the TV: with demand for #organics growing, why is demand way outstripping supply in Ireland and is it time to reopen our organic scheme #ettg @ellamcsweeney pic.twitter.com/uhFnAwo409 — Paula Williams (@paulawilliamss) February 22, 2018 You can watch the full show here (national restrictions may apply) And you can listen to him on the radio too on the Saturday morning show Countrywide. Last week he told us about the confusion the Irish Department of Agriculture has with regard to opening or not opening the Organic Farming Scheme. Schrödinger’s Cat and the State of the Irish Organic Farming Scheme While this week he covered the recent Biofach 2018 event – the world’s largest organic trade show for the Irish Farming Examiner. Below is what he wrote about what the Irish organic certification bodies – IOFGA and the Organic Trust  – have to say about the lack of an Organic Farming […]

Latest from EU Member States

Agroecology | A Tale of Two Continents

15 January, 2018 Carmen Schwartz

Agroecology is commonly understood as a science, a movement, and a practice, jointly transforming agroecosystems to less fossil fuel dependent, more autonomous and more resilient farming systems. Agroecologic practices and research have evolved and are being applied around the globe. What unites these movements, what separates them? How is it different in Europe compared to Latin America? Is there a universal approach to agroecology? […]