The Soil Association welcomes RDP support for organic farmers in Northern Ireland‏

This week the European Commission formally approved the Rural Development Programme (RDP) 2014 – 2020 for Northern Ireland. The Soil Association is delighted that the final Programme includes a budget of £2.5million for organic support payments between now and 2020.

Trevor Mansfield, Head of Policy at the Soil Association said; “Northern Ireland, like the rest of the UK, has committed to support organic farming in a way that’s fair and responsible. The Soil Association welcomes this positive announcement from the Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (DARD) and we are particularly pleased to see the confirmation of payments for organic conversion and maintenance. This will help the organic sector in Northern Ireland meet the growing demand for organic produce, both in the UK and abroad. We are happy to talk to farmers wanting to learn more about the payments on offer.”

Support for organic farmers is available from the Soil Association’s producer support team, 0117 314 5100.

The RDP secures funding for improving farming and agri-food businesses, protecting the environment and rural infrastructure to ensure the sustainability of farming for the future. Up to £249million has been put to protecting and enhancing the natural environment, including £100million for an Environmental Farming Scheme. The organic support payments will be run directly by DARD but is separate from the main agri-environment scheme. The confirmed payments apply to a minimum area of 3ha (or 1ha for horticultural land) and include:

·5 year agreements for organic maintenance and conversion, with the possibility of annual extensions to the agreement


·Conversion payments for 2 years (3 where the conversion period is 3 years) followed by maintenance payments to complete the 5 year period

·Detailed supporting information, guidance and training at the start of agreements and during agreements