PRESS RELEASE Teagasc 05.09.2022
A National Organic Beef Open Day on the farm of John Purcell, Ross, Golden, Cashel, Co Tipperary will take place on Wednesday, 28th September from 10am to 3pm. The open day is jointly organised by Teagasc, Bord Bia and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and will provide all farmers with the opportunity to see an organic beef farm in operation and discuss all aspects of production and marketing of the beef produced on the farm.
The planned organic beef open day was launched today, Monday, 5 September, on the farm of John Purcell by Senator Pippa Hackett, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Speaking in Tipperary Minister Hackett said; “The Irish beef industry has a strong reputation, which I believe can only be further enhanced by increasing our Irish organic beef offering. This will help to stimulate new market opportunities for producers, both at home and abroad.“
Minister Hackett said; “As Minister with responsibility for Organic Farming, I have secured significantly increased premium rates for the Organic Farming Scheme and a new participation payment for all scheme members. This enhanced package of measures will help to ensure that the necessary foundational support is there for all farmers who want to go organic.”
Dr Stan Lalor, Director of Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc joined Minister Hackett in Tipperary today, to review the plans for the open day. He said; “Many stakeholders operating in the organic sector including certification, education and retail will be in attendance and will provide a one-stop-shop for farmers to cover all aspects of organic farming, from technical knowledge to education to market development to financial supports and much more. Teagasc has enhanced its organic specialist and organic advisory teams and they will provide detailed information to all farmers attending on the opportunities.”
Topics for discussion at the open day include beef production systems, organic markets, financial supports, clover, soil health, farm buildings for organic beef production, economics, habitats and biodiversity and an organic food village with exhibitors.
The final part of the open day will feature an open forum to discuss the future of the Irish Organic beef sector. The date for National Organic Beef Open Day is significant, as it is just in advance of the opening of the next application window for the Organic Farming Scheme in October.
For more information on the open day and to register, visit www.teagasc.ie/organicbeef22
A video highlighting what will be on show on 28th of September can also be viewed at the link above.