Organic food production and grow your own food initiatives have created a great deal of interest over the past few months. It’s difficult to say who should get the credit for all the “Organic Action” either way this rolling stone is certainly gathering momentum and its share of organic matter too.
According to the experts at the Bord Bia's national organic conference in Waterford this week, the sale of organic foods in Ireland is now worth 104 million Euro this is an 82 per cent rise since 2006.
With respect to the average consumer on the street, approximately 45 per cent of Irish grocery shoppers say they have purchased an organic product in the last month, this equates to a 20 per cent increase over the figures from 2003, according to statistics presented at the Maximising Ireland's Potential conference.
"The research showed 'organic' has the greatest recognition of all ethical food labels, with 91 per cent of those surveyed stating they are familiar with the term, compared to 50 per cent who are familiar with the term 'food miles'," said Lorcan Bourke Bord Bia official and chairman of the Organic Market Development Group.
"The research also highlighted bread, beef, preserves and cheese as some of the organic produce most likely to increase in popularity over the coming years," he added.
Bord Bia chief executive Aidan Cotter said, "The record growth in the market is striking and mirrors corresponding increases throughout other European markets.”
Tony Reid, assistant principal officer, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, outlined plans to convert 5 per cent of the Republic's total acreage to organic production by 2012.
Irish Organic Farmers & Growers Association
Another interested party in the whole organic debate is the Irish Organic Farmers & Growers Association (IOFGA). They recently called on the Departments of Finance and Agriculture to help farmers convert to the organic farming.
In particular IOFGA focused their advice in two areas, food security and climate change.
"The current dependence on food production using nitrogen, the manufacture of which accounts for an incredibly high consumption of both energy and water, is not a sustainable option for the future", advised Kate Carmody, Chairperson, IOFGA.
"At the same time agriculture, like every other economic sector, must cut its considerable greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent. These changes must be achieved without a loss in food productivity and we see the organic approach as an important part of the solution".
The IOFGA called for the establishment of a Conversion Support organisation to offer advice and training to farmers during the essential period of conversion to organic methods.
"A single organic agency with its own budget is the most effective way to achieve the Government's 5 per cent target of land certified as organic by 2012 which was set in the Programme for Government in 2007. We are calling for a fund of Euro four million to be allocated for the development of such an organisation", said Carmody.
According to IOFGA the Irish organic market is projected to grow to 400m Euro by 2012. They would like to see Irish farmers taking a significantly increased share of this figure (80 per cent) unlike their current share of 30 per cent.
Grow it yourself
According to Minister of State for Food Trevor Sargent, developers will now have to provide areas for allotments and community farming when they plan future housing developments. To supplement the current shortfall of such areas the Office of Public Works will make lands available for growing food via a system of allotments.
Mr Sargent said the whole review came into being after Feasta (Dublin-based environmental economics organisation) urged the government do develop a “food security road map.”
“Ireland now faces a similar challenge as Britain experienced during the Second World War, when its government realised there was a clear need for food security. They went from being 120 days self reliant for food to 160 days," the Minister said.
"There's probably not a week's supply of food here for everyone in Dublin, let alone the country. We've seen food riots around the world, but it could easily happen here," said Feasta's Bruce. Darrell.
"Food security will be on the agenda at my next meetings with supermarkets. We are self-sufficient in meat and butter and food exports far exceed our imports. But we need to build food security that is removed from the energy crisis and the oil price," said Mr. Sargent.
