This week, Organic Matters visits Beechlawn organic horticulture farm to meet couple Pádraig and Una Fahy. The pair have grown their business from a relatively small vegetable business into a thriving hub, with veg box deliveries and a farm shop. They discuss how they built their business and give advice for anyone else thinking of getting into horticulture.

This week, Organic Matters, speaks to organic farm advisor Mary Lynch about what the new ACRES scheme means for organic farmers and hears what grassland farmers should be prioritising in terms of managing their farms over summer months.

This week, Organic Matters, travels to farm walk hosted by the Tipperary and Limerick organic farmers discussion group on the farm of Pat O'Connor in Tipperary. Pat runs stockless tillage farm and his neighbour, conventional dairy farmer Tomás O'Keefe, speaks about how the two work in symbiosis, trading FYM for grazing and clover. Soils specialist John Geraghty also speaks about the need to support organic farmers' learning.

This week, Organic Matters interviews Claire O'Connor about her shop Manna in Tralee, which sells local fresh organic vegetables and all types of organic food from your regular corner shop classics like milk and eggs to high-end luxury chocolate. Claire also runs a farm in Kerry with her husband Thomas and feels passionately that there is an appetite there for more local organic food produced by farmers across Ireland and huge potential for more organic stores.

This week, Organic Matters meets husband and wife team Esther

and Ollie who run Cúlbhac Farm outside Nenagh in Tipperary.

The pair sell organic hen eggs and run a calf to beef system, selling

the beef via beef boxes.

With just less than 2% of land in Ireland farmed organically, host Hannah Quinn-Mulligan asks the European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski how he views the organic sector and where he'd like to see the organic sector in Ireland heading on a visit to an organic farm outside Dublin. Minister of State for Agriculture Pippa Hackett and Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue also give their views on the organic sector. The Commissioner was visiting the farm of Eddie and Swantje Kiernan on Rathvale Organic Farm oustide Dublin city.

A special edition of the the Irish Organic Association podcast where we speak to the European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski. With just less than 2% of land in Ireland farmed organically, host Hannah Quinn-Mulligan asks the Commissioner how he views the organic sector and where he'd like to see the organic sector in Ireland heading. The Commissioner was visiting the farm of Eddie and Swantje Kiernan on Rathvale Organic Farm oustide Dublin city.

This week, Organic Matters, meets a farmer who is not afraid to

change his system. Oliver Dixon is farming in Mayo and speaks

to presenter Hannah Quinn-Mulligan about switching from a

suckler system and sowing more red clover for silage to finish

weanlings.

Orla and Sean Clancy run Clanwood Farm and the Organic Café in Lough Boora and Fallon's Bar in Co Offaly. Sean speaks to Organic Matters about coming home to the family farm and the pair's journey into food production. He also explains how the pandemic meant they had to adapt and what that has meant for the business.

Irish wool was once a valuable product from our national

flock but over time this has radically changed with shearing costing

more than the value of the fleece. However, Blaitnaid Gallagher

and the Galway Wool Co-op are keen to change that. She speaks to

Organic Matters about her passion for wool and how it can work

in a modern society. Aiden Walsh also discusses demand for wool.