A major campaign to encourage more farmers to switch to the organic option is to get under way next month.
Organic farming has been growing slowly in Ireland since the 1960s and a surge in the numbers involved is expected because farmers are now free to farm in whatever way they wish following Cap reform.
There are just over 1,000 organic farmers in the State farming just over 30,000 hectares of land under organic production methods.
Although they farm less than 1 per cent of the agricultural land in the State, the Irish organic market is estimated to be worth €40 million annually.
The market has been growing at the rate of almost 10 per cent a year and that growth is expected to continue into the future as farmers see opportunities to substitute their home-grown crops for imported organic food.
Minister for Agriculture and Food Mary Coughlan yesterday announced details of National Organic Week from November 7th-13th.
She said the public needed to be made aware of what organic food actually is, where and how it is produced and where they can buy it.
Next month's campaign will involve point-of-sale material, window stickers, posters and recipe and information leaflets at consumer outlets.
"Every country has its own advantages and I firmly believe there are large opportunities for Ireland in producing organic food," said Ms Coughlan.
Farmers who want to convert to organic production from conventional farming have to go through a conversion period when they do not use artificial fertilisers on grass or crops, but there are conversion grants for doing this. Most farmers argue that these grants are too low.
However, in recent years some successful conventional farm operators have made the switch.
In most cases, crop yields in organic productions are lower, labour inputs higher and markets less readily available, but they normally deliver prices which are 10-25 per cent higher.