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Government is inviting farmers to grow more wheat, according to a Fianna Fáil senator.
Senator Malcolm Byrne said he is “quite certain that farmers and farm organisations can step up to the plate” to make this happen.
Byrne was speaking in the Seanad on Tuesday in relation to his concerns on Ireland’s flour supply due to the war in Ukraine.
He made the remarks just hours ahead of a meeting between his Fianna Fáil party colleague Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and farm organisations to discuss food security challenges.
Encouragement
Senator Byrne said that the Minister will be “encouraging farmers to increase grain production” and that this will help to provide “greater domestic food security”.
He explained that 80% of the flour used in Ireland is imported and that “the bulk of this comes from the UK”.
While noting that Ireland may not import grain directly from Ukraine, he said there will be a “knock-on impact” if the wheat from the region isn’t “contributing to world supply”.
He told the Seanad that in Chicago, according to price indices, wheat prices are now 70% higher than they were at the start of the year.
Mills
The Wexford senator called for Government to support farmers and businesses who want to build commercial mills as a means of strengthening Ireland’s ability to produce more of its own flour, for the current food security challenges and for the long term.
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