There has been a surge of interest in hemp production globally. Industrial hemp can be grown in Ireland for a range of uses, including for fibre, food, and feed. It is similar to cannabis, but without the narcotic effects. The narcotic active — tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — does not exceed 0.2% in industrial plants.

The hemp industry has been slow to take off here due largely to the lack of processing infrastructure. Farming needs an increased number of crop options, so it is important to look at the barriers and how to unlock the potential of hemp.

Industrial hemp

You can legally grow industrial hemp in Ireland, subject to a licence approval from the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).

As it is a strain of the cannabis plant which only contains traces of THC, it does not have a street value. Its stalks are used for rope, shoes and insulation and its seeds as a sprinkle on porridge. However, it contains another cannabinoid in abundance which everyone wants to try – cannabidiol (CBD).

Although no health benefits can be claimed by the sellers, it is touted online by non-medical professionals as an elixir that “may help” with anything from eczema to arthritis

Health and wellness stores all over Ireland have shelves laden with the stuff, to be taken under the tongue or in capsules and gummies.

Although no health benefits can be claimed by the sellers, it is touted online by non-medical professionals as an elixir that “may help” with anything from eczema to arthritis, anxiety to insomnia.

The margin from two acres of wheat is ballpark €800. The same area in hemp, seeds and fibre, would be around €2,000. If we could extract the CBD, the value would be more like €8,000. But this is a pipe dream because Irish law will not allow it.

While it is fine to use the stalks for textiles and the seeds for food supplements, the HPRA licence specifies that industrial hemp’s flowers and leaves must remain untouched. And that is where the gold is, the CBD.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine allows 0.2% THC in seed for cultivation

Until the Misuse of Drugs Act changes, Irish hemp farmers are at a disadvantage, as the most valuable part of the crop, the CBD, is rendered worthless. For now, all CBD isolate products on Irish shelves come from imported sources. The current confusion exists in that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine allows 0.2% THC in seed for cultivation. This concentration means that a normal consumption rate is unlikely to cause an adverse effect in humans.

However, the Misuse of Drugs Act has zero tolerance for THC in hemp-derived food products. This causes confusion for growers and investors within the sector.

Growing conditions

Hemp is a regular crop in terms of how it is sown. And it grows well in our climate. Soil preparation is similar to other crops. It is sown in the spring and needs good seedbeds to have good seed-soil contact for germination.

Novel food

The EU is looking at labelling hemp as a “novel food”, the name it gives to products that do not have a history of consumption. The label has previously been used to assess the safety of new trends, such as chia seeds.

CBD would, if it passes, likely be designated as a novel food supplement. This decision was due last March but may now be deferred until December 2020. Meanwhile, FSAI inspectors continue to identify unauthorised novel foods on the Irish market.

While these issues are being thrashed out, Irish landowners will hope that Irish laws will evolve to allow the extraction of CBD to supply the new market.

Farmers who hold hemp-growing licences may then grow the crop for this purpose, using varieties which are higher in CBD.

We can only hope that hemp will be an option for Irish farmers

While it is still a tiny crop (about 850 acres were licensed in 2020), commercial industrial hemp needs scale or needs to be grown in a series of smaller blocks connected through a co-operative network.

Harvesting machinery is big and not suited to two-acre plots. Ireland has already established its own Hemp Coop Network.

We can only hope that hemp will be an option for Irish farmers, but it remains a risky option unless these changes are enacted. Peak CBD prices of $3/g have fallen to about $1/g due to international competition.

Processing hemp for fibre

An industrial hemp decortication plant would be needed to process the straw into its two main components — shivs or hurds (60% to 70%) and fibre (20% to 25%). The remaining 10% to 15% consists of fines and dust from the process and this is marketable as biofuel.

Hemp fibre can be used for insulation, bio-composite reinforcement, and bioplastics to replace fossil fuel-derived equivalents.

Hemp also has potential as a battery technology. Its fibres act as supercapacitor that can discharge a load fast — useful for electric cars.

Some suggest that it is even better than graphene, which is currently valued at €5,000/g. However, this has not yet been verified by research.

The construction of a hemp decortication plant would make possible the establishment of a bio-refinery type industry in Ireland. It would provide valuable rural employment in production, transport, and processing, and would provide farmers with a new business opportunity and a valuable break crop.

Decorticators are commonly used in the European, US, Canadian, and Chinese hemp industries, but this basic technology is not yet available in Ireland, due to the need for economies of scale.

Laws on CBD and cannabis

Our Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 to 2016 give effect to the international conventions on narcotic and psychotropic substances. Cannabis derivatives, which include THC, are controlled by this legislation.

CBD is not a controlled drug following extraction but if CBD-containing products also contain traces of THC, they are considered controlled drugs. There is currently no exemption for any amount of THC. This is a barrier to the processing of hemp in Ireland, as the main two cannabinoids in industrial hemp are CBD and THC.

Under current legislation, hemp farmers must destroy the hemp flower, as cannabinoids are produced in the flower head

An amendment to national legislation to exempt finished products that contain trace amounts of THC (not greater than 0.3%) would remove the grey area around CBD products.

Under current legislation, hemp farmers must destroy the hemp flower, as cannabinoids are produced in the flower head. If the sale of the flowers could be permitted between farmer and a licensed processor this would allow for the extraction of cannabinoids, with the waste material destroyed as per requirement.