Organic farming groups from all over the EU gathered in Dublin this week for talks organised by the EU branch of the International Foundation for Organic Agriculture (IFOAM) and Irish organic body the Organic Trust.

At the meeting, held in the seat of the current EU presidency, Organic Trust spokesperson Gavin Lynch criticised the Irish government over its lack of public support for the organic sector. Similar criticisms have been levelled at the UK government by organic sector groups, who argue the government's failure to back sustainable farming bodies stands in contrast to policies adopted in France and Northern Europe.

Whilst in the UK, the Soil Association has been critical of the lack of research funding for organic and the adversarial nature of what little research is conducted, (which the UK certifier argues often focuses on pitting organic production against conventional agriculture),  Gavin Lynch stated that Ireland is lagging behind other European states in public procurement of organic.  

Lynch said, "There is huge potential in this area to help achieve the Government’s stated aim to increase the percentage of land being farmed organically in Ireland through the public procurement system. As organic farming tends to be more labour intensive this would create badly needed jobs in rural Ireland, provide better quality food for the young, the old and the sick and would go a long way towards protecting our rural environment through the low input practices of organic farming."

He continued, "Countries such as Denmark, Germany and Sweden have already seen the light in this area. State canteens in Denmark aim to have 80 percent of the food offered there as organic by 2015."

Irleand's government has recently introduced new regulations on Green Public Procurement, which Lynch said "could be very good for the Irish economy if this opportunity is handled correctly by those in power," and does not result in a mere "green-wash."

In response, Mr Frank Macken, Senior Technical Inspector with the Organic Unit of the Department of Agriculture, Food & The Marine stated that "the Government is very positively disposed towards Green Public Procurement which includes organic food as it had been demonstrated in other jurisdictions that this had resulted in a positive increase in organically certified land areas in the European organic sector."