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The future of the Irish malting barley sector is concerning, according to the IFA, despite “some progress” being made on discussions with Boortmalt since the last growers' meeting.
Discussions
Discussions are ongoing and a deal has yet to be agreed.
At two recent meetings of growers, the IFA encouraged the large gathering of farmers to accept and plant their seed for this season.
The growers gave no commitment to supply the grain until a deal was agreed.
They need to be adequately compensated for their effort
A pricing structure must be agreed which is fair and equitable for the primary producer, IFA tillage chair Mark Browne said.
He called on the Irish drinks industry to support malting barley growers with sustainable prices.
“The latest Bord Bia report showed that Irish drink exports were worth €1.5bn in 2018.
"Whiskey sales, in particular, have expanded by double-digit figures for all export markets,” Browne said.
“Farmers want to continue to grow a crop which is quality assured and fully traceable, but they need to be adequately compensated for their effort.”
Low incomes
The future of the sector is a risk due to low incomes of grain growers and spiralling costs of growing a premium crop, he said.
“Irish tillage farmers have been producing quality malting barley for generations, which is the foundation for the successful premium branding of Irish drinks products,” said Browne.
“Many of the drinks companies are part of the Bord Bia Origin Green sustainability scheme and it is now time that they backed the financial sustainability of the Irish grain farmer.”
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