EDIC Sligo: “Irish organic dairy farming and the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030: a REAL alternative for conventional dairy farmers?”

The EU Green Deal envisages a climate neutral Europe by 2050. In order to achieve this target Europe will have to change they way it lives, eats, works and houses itself. As part of this process of change the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 set a target that at least 25% of agricultural land is under organic farming management, and the uptake of agro-ecological practices is significantly increased by 2030. In Ireland currently only 2% of land is farmed organically. We have according to 2019 figures 62 organic dairy farmers. They made up approximately 1% of dairy farming in 2019.

Our online meeting with panellists:

Daria Hawat (Policy Officer for organics in the Directorate for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission)

John Liston (organic dairy farmer and director of the Little Milk Company) Gillain Westbrook (CEO Irish Organic Association) and

Nigel Renaghan, Chairman of IFA Organics Project Team. The Panel will discuss what Ireland needs to do to make organic dairy farming a real alternative for conventional dairy farmers. Questions from attendees can be taken via Zoom chat.

Gillian Westbrook, CEO of the Irish Organic Association, the main certifying body for organic production and processing in Ireland, and she is the Project manager for the MOPS EIP-AGRI Project.

This event is being recorded and will be available on the Europe Direct Sligo Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpqxKFAF6lShw1SD1emrMUA