A special committee to advise the Minister for Agriculture and Food on organic production has not met for two years, it was learned yesterday when the Green Party published a Bill to increase organic farming land to 30 per cent by 2010.
Ms Noreen Gibney, chief operations officer of the Irish Organic Farmers' and Growers' Association, told a press conference to launch the private members' Bill that the advisory committee set up by the last government had not met for two years.
She said that despite a huge demand for organic produce from consumers, most of it had to be imported. Government support for the industry was only £1 million per annum.
"When you consider that Denmark, for instance, has given £20 million a year, I have an awful feeling that we are coming too late for both farmers and for Irish producers," she said.
Green TD Mr Trevor Sargent said that currently only 0.5 per cent of Irish land was farmed organically. There must be a proactive approach to organic production and the Bill had been prepared at least to establish targets for the sector.