A submission for hemp production in the next EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) would be “a no-brainer”, according to Teagasc.

Agricultural economist Dr Fiona Thorne spoke about potential policy shifts that could help hemp’s growth while at the industrial hemp conference on Thursday.

The current CAP includes subsidies for hemp production such as area-based direct payments with the requirement of using certified seed varieties.

EU countries can decide to grant coupled income support to farmers growing hemp which is currently implemented in France, Poland and Romania.

In addition, the EU increased the allowable Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels for industrial hemp from 0.2% to 0.3% which improved competitiveness with global markets.

Between 2015 and 2022, European hemp production increased by 84.3% from 97,130t to 179,020t.

Responding to an audience question, Dr Thorne said that further supports should be looked at to grow the industry in Ireland.

“For me, that is a no-brainer really. If you want to get momentum in this industry, we need investment,” she said.

“It’s not just Irish Government support that we should be looking at here but also opportunities at the European level.

Our CAP strategic document for Ireland would be the vehicle for doing that.”