Features
Surveying the Organic Sector...Again
The response to the current Department of Agriculture census of organic farming is reported to be poor. Despite a number of reminders and phone calls to producers a significant proportion of farmers have not returned the form. The census is the brainchild of the Organic Development Committee set up by the Minister for Agriculture to develop the organic sector. A national steering group for the organic sector was formed under the report of the committee. Only three of the twenty three organisations that comprise the steering group represent the organic sector. The reluctance to complete the census can to some degree be attributed to poor timing and the cumbersome nature of some of the questions asked. Added to that is the huge load of form filling already carried by farmers at present. However, there are more fundamental reasons why some producers refuse to contribute to the mountain of paper that already exists on the organic sector.
Duplication
Lorraine O' Donoghue an organic farmer in Co. Mayo feels that there is considerable duplication in the data requested. 'A lot of what was asked on this form is already on record' she says. 'It is an impertinence to expect 2002 figures to be ready at that time of year on top of all the other form filling one has to do. We are being treated like we are part of an experiment, organic farming is well established and information for this part of the country already exists'. Several farmers were reluctant to be named for fear of compromising future dealings with the Department. One farmer said 'I rely on them for the cheque in the post so I felt obliged to fill out the form even though to be honest I didn't fill all of the questions and some answers were less than accurate'. Another farmer from the west of Ireland said 'I couldn't believe that I was being asked to do this all over again. I gave hours to a consultant making a report for the Western Development Commission a few years ago and I never heard of any result from that report'.
Twenty years of form filling
Kerry organic grower Billy Clifford concurs with this view. 'I am tired of filling forms at this stage' he says. It worries me that I must have completed at least twenty surveys over the years to no effect. The Department has been involved in organic farming for a long time and could someone not have been given the job of compiling the statistics that are available'. Many producers were angry at being telephoned at home by Department staff in the evening time and felt compromised by this approach. 'This form of harassment is unacceptable' Lorraine O' Donoghue says. 'It shows a lack of courtesy and respect. It is basically a bullying tactic'. What caused the greatest ire among those who were aware of it was the fact that the Department gave a list of those who had not completed the form to several individuals connected to the organic sector. This could be regarded as a departure from normal procedure in government departments and a breach of the confidentiality that had been assured to producers. The matter is currently being pursued with the Department.
Waste of public funds
The end result of this fiasco is that public funds have been wasted, the Department is left with an incomplete and inaccurate picture in relation to organic statistics and the level of distrust and weariness of officialdom has grown among producers. More organic farmers are convinced that there is no grasp or understanding of their production methods, lifestyle or ethos among Department officials. If those involved in organic production feel that the work of the Organic Development Committee is irrelevant to them perhaps it is time for the Minister and officials to go back to the drawing board and reassess their approach to the organic sector.
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