Teagasc will be running a number of Organic Farming Principles courses this autumn, including one in Killarney, beginning on Tuesday August 26th.
The 25 hour level 5 Organic Farming Principles course not only teaches the skills needed, but is also necessary before acceptance into the Organic Farming Scheme.
The course is €220, and over five classes students will learn about the procedures required to convert a non-organic farm, as well as soil fertility practices and methods for dealing with pests, weeds, and disease organically. Farmers will also learn what the economic viability of organic farming is, and what is available in terms of supports both national and at an EU level.
One graduate, Pat Maher from Cashel in Tipperary, gave up using sprays 10 years ago.
‘For me, going organic was a lifestyle change, not a retirement option. It’s important to do the course in time as I found there was a lot to learn. The specifications for organic take time to sink in, so I found the course very useful to clarify what’s required in order to comply with the organic standards, it makes the transition smoother as I was more familiar with the organic requirements.’
Another graduate, Wexford’s Liz Hendy, admitted that the course was doable regardless of academic ability, and said the best thing was that other organic farmers were willing to share their experience, ‘good and bad, and solutions they have found when problems have been encountered.”
Separately, Christopher O’Sullivan TD has this week launched a public consultation on a plan for biodiversity, claiming that ‘significant’ government investment ‘has strengthened restoration and safeguarding of our most precious habitats including Blanket Bog, and our rarest species such as the corncrake and curlew’.
‘Our biodiversity is important to a wide range of stakeholders, including those active in the water, forestry, marine and agricultural sectors. I encourage everyone to have their say so that we have a plan that is informed by the best available science and the views of all stakeholders affected.’
Some of the goals of the plan are to ensure farmers are incentivised to ‘create and maintain’ habitats under the CAP, and that the Department will support farmers to ‘protect, restore and create on-farm biodiversity rich landscapes’.
Submissions on the Draft Sectoral Adaptation Plan for Biodiversity 2025 are being accepted until September 15th, and it can be found on the gov.ie website.
