Drummonds purchases about 100,000t of grain from farmers across the northeast of the country.

Some of that grain is used in rations and a large amount is traded on further.

Managing director of Drummonds Paul Ward said it can be a challenge to price it and compete with products coming off the boat, which is frustrating for Irish growers and sellers of Irish grain alike.

Paul said the agricultural sector needs to value Irish grain: “We are growing a really, really good-quality product and we are constantly trying to tell that to our grain customers.

"We say this is Irish grain. It’s grown locally. It’s sourced from local farmers. We’ve minded it. We know where it came from, so put that in your feed ration and tell your feed customers this is Irish grain. Feed it to your dairy cows.”

Mix

Paul said more needs to be made of Irish grain and that the good story of Irish grain needs to be told. He said end users of feed rations and cubes need to know that there is a percentage of Irish grain in the mix.

He said the country cannot become completely dependent on imports. Paul said events around the world can make it hard to transport grain around the planet and that we could be in a situation where there is no grain coming in at certain times.

“Irish grain is so important to our country and we need to do our best to support it. That’s not just merchants, that’s the whole food chain, all the way through to the end user buying the grain and the end user buying the meat or the milk that come from that grain.”

You can hear more from Paul on this week's Tillage Podcast by clicking here.