The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has announced that Ireland will be hosting the European Organic Congress 2026 in Cork from 6-8 October 2026.
Organised by IFOAM Organics Europe, the umbrella organisation for organic food and farming, this premier annual international conference will feature top industry leaders from across Europe in policy, processing, farming, food and state bodies.
This year’s conference theme, Organics: A Strategic Investment in Europe’s Resilience,
comes at a crucial moment for the future of European agriculture and more than 200 stakeholders across the organic supply chain will discuss how organics can strengthen Europe’s resilience in uncertain times and what policy and funding priorities are needed to support the sector’s future.As the challenges of climate, water quality, biodiversity, generational renewal and female participation increase pressure on agriculture, many in Europe see Organics as a key part of the solution for the wider food sector.
Commenting on the event, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, said:
“I am delighted that IFOAM Organics Europe has chosen to host the European Organic Congress in Cork during Ireland’s Presidency of the European Council . International events like this are crucial in fostering networking and collaboration across Europe. A strong organic sector makes important contributions to Irish and EU policy priorities of food security and circularity, climate resilience, biodiversity enhancement, water quality, generational renewal and female participation.”
Minister Heydon continued:
“Ireland has had huge success in growing organic production over the past five years. As demand for organic food grows globally, so too will opportunities for Irish farmers and processors to grow their share of this lucrative market. My Department will continue to work with the sector to ensure to provide funding, knowledge and supports to deliver the National Organic Strategy and action Plan.”
Registration for the event can be completed via this link.
Notes
Organic Growers of Ireland represents and supports organic growers throughout Ireland. https://organicgrowersireland.ie/ Glasraí is a small certified organic farm on 7 acres in Hollymount, Co. Mayo. https://www.glasrai.ie/ IFOAM Europe is the umbrella organisation for organic food & farming representing around 200 member organisations across 34 countries. Based in Brussels it acts as the official voice of the organic sector in EU Policymaking advocating for sustainable food systems & targets. National Organic Strategy targets The Department has targets for 2030 in the Organic sector which include: • Increasing the organic area from 5% to 10% • Increasing the national supply of Organic beef for sale from 4,000 tonnes today to 12,000 tonnes • Increasing the supply of sheep meat from 500 tonnes to 3,000 • Double milk production from 20 million litres to 40 million litres • Double the amount of tillage area • Increase in the production of poultry by 50% to 53 million eggs annually • Increase the number of direct sales of Pork • Encourage to reduce the number of imports which is presently at 70% of retail sales in Ireland to less than 50% by 2030 • Ireland currently has 42% market share in aquaculture in the EU but there is scope for future growth While production targets are ambitious, Marketline Research projects the EU market for organic food will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.25%, reaching €126 billion by 2033.
No comments:
Post a Comment