HortiTrends.com - Organics

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22 June 2015

Organic Grant Aid Scheme

Scheme Due To Open Soon (not opened yet)
Organic farmers are set to be able to avail of significant grant aid for key equipment under the TAMS II.
A large array investments are eligible under the Organics Capital Investment Scheme – see list below:

Organic Horticulture Sector Needs to Nurture New Talent

As the annual Bloom Festival draws to a close, horticulture and the business of growing has been gaining some overdue attention in the media. Agriculture has been one of the shining stars of the economic recovery, but horticulture has remained the poor relation.

29 May 2015

Tender - Development in Snail Production - RFT - Request for Tender (RFT) for Inclusion on Panel for the Provision of New Course Development in Snail Production to the National Organic Training Skillnet 2015/2016

Tender - Development in Snail Production - RFT - Request for Tender (RFT) for Inclusion on Panel for the Provision of New Course Development in Snail Production to the National Organic Training Skillnet 2015/2016
Abstract: RFT - Request for Tender (RFT) for Inclusion on Panel for the Provision of New Course Development in Snail Production to the National Organic Training Skillnet 2015/2016
Publication date: 26-05-2015
Response deadline: 12-06-2015 05:00 Irish time
Procedure: 1. Open Procedure (NON OJEU)
Buyer: National Organic Training Skillnet
Click here for more information and to log in or register.
Click here to view all Tenders

21 May 2015

IOFGA Welcomes Opening of Organic Farming Scheme

Minister Hayes opened the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) today. IOFGA are delighted with the 60% increase in payment for participants in the scheme. Please note that the OFS will close on May 29th. Existing participants of the OFS have been issued a letter by the Organic Unit of the Department outlining options. For new entrants it is important that you get your applications into IOFGA as quick as you can.

01 May 2015

Minister Hayes Launches New Organic Farming Scheme

The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Tom Hayes TD has announced the opening of the new Organic Farming Scheme with immediate effect. Minister Hayes made this announcement during a visit to the farm of Mr John Purcell, Good Herdsmen, Organic Meat Processor, Golden, Cashel, Co. Tipperary.

09 April 2015

New Organic Farming Scheme to Open Shortly

The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Tom Hayes TD, has announced that the new Organic Farming Scheme is to open for applications shortly. "Applications for the new scheme must be made online, the Minister said, but there will be no requirement to use an Agricultural Advisor to make the applications.

31 March 2015

Country Focus On Ireland – Organic Standard Magazine

The Organic Standard is a monthly online magazine that is published in Spain. Each month there are a variety of articles focusing on organic regulations and standards and a host of other issues related to organic food and farming. IOFGA were invited to write an article on organic farming in Ireland.

12 March 2015

O'Neill Announces £30,000 Boost for Social Farming

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Michelle O'Neill recently announced DARD's continued support for the social farming initiative and allocated £30,000 over the next year to assist in its development.

09 March 2015

Continued Growth in Free-From Category

New reports from Mintel and Euromonitor highlight the continuing strong growth of the free-from category, which doubled in size between 2009 and 2014 to reach a current value of £365m in the UK and £34m in ROI. While growth is expected to slow in the coming years, the UK market is still forecast to increase by over 50% between 2014 and 2019. The projections for ROI are slightly lower at 38%.

27 February 2015

IOFGA AGM and Conference 2015

The IOFGA AGM and Conference was held Tuesday 24th February in the Tullamore Court Hotel. At the AGM Thomas O Connor IOFGA Chairperson, was delighted to welcome Birgitta Curtin, Trevor Harris and Michael Keane onto the Board. Gillian Westbrook, IOFGA General Manager thanked outgoing members John Paul Crowe and Breege O Brien for their dedication and hard work over the past three years.

17 February 2015

Biofach The 26th Year of the Hugely Successful Trade Show

The 26th Biofach was opened this morning by the Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, the hugely successful trade show is a fantastic place to do business with over 42,000 visitor expected this year.

08 June 2015

New Course Dates Added for Organic Production Course

Mary Lynch, organic inspector adviser and farmer, is running another Organic Production course for new entrants to the Organic Farming Scheme who must complete their course before September 1st.

26 May 2015

Organic Farming Scheme

The Organic Farming Scheme is now open and participants can submit their applications to the Department of Agriculture before May 29th.

How to join the scheme:

The OFS is now an online application so in order to join you must complete the following steps:

Irish Quality Food & Drink Awards 2015 Open! – Deadline 1 June

We are delighted to announce that the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards are back for their third year. They are open to all Irish retailers, producers and manufacturers across the whole of Ireland.

27 April 2015

UK Fresh Produce Market Shows Modest Decline

A recent Key Note Market Update showed the UK retail market for fresh fruit and vegetables fell by 0.8% in 2014, which was the first decline recorded over the five years examined by the report. The fruit sector exhibited modest value growth with all of the decline coming from the vegetable sector.

03 April 2015

Challenging Environment for Traditional Retailers

A recently released Mintel report on Retailing in Ireland shows that traditional supermarkets are facing a challenging time when competing with convenience stores and discounters. Consumers are still very much driven by getting good value for money, and attitudes towards discounter ranges are improving.

30 March 2015

One in 10 EU Wild Bee Species Faces Extinction

Almost one in ten wild bee species in the EU faces extinction, mainly due to intensifying agriculture, research funded by the European Commission shows. About 9.1% of wild bee species across the EU face extinction in the near future, while another 5.4% are likely to become threatened, according to a study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

10 March 2015

O'Neill Welcomes Announcement on Agri-Food Marketing Body

Agriculture Minister Michelle O'Neill MLA recently welcomed the announcement of plans to establish a new marketing organisation for the agri-food sector.

03 March 2015

Eco Eye at Organic College

We would like to thank Duncan Stuart and his team on Eco Eye for the coverage they gave our College last week on RTE. As Duncan says "Rural Ireland has always had its economic struggles and since the recession, they have become more pronounced. Emigration and the flight to the cities has left many communities fighting for their survival."

Organics Is Now “Star Performer” of EU Food Sector

Delivering the keynote address at the Biofach organic show in Nuremburg, Germany, Commissioner Hogan said the continuing growth in sales of organic food exports highlighted the potential of the industry.

13 February 2015

IOFGA Members Exhibiting at Biofach

There are 9 organic companies exhibiting at Biofach this year, the world's largest organic trade show runs from February 11th -14th in Nuremburg, Germany. Anyone who goes to Biofach cannot help but be impressed by the sheer volume and quality of organic food on display. IOFGA members exhibiting this year include;