Jim Miller, suckler farmer, Laois

“It was an education to see how simple [hemp is]. It’s idiot-proof, almost.

“If we had €1m, we could make this work; if we had €100m, it would be 110 times quicker.

“I’ve grown hemp two or three times in just small amounts, about an acre and a half. I was absolutely impressed by the way it just jumped out of the ground. I only made some bedding out of it. I think it’s a phenomenal crop.”

Michael O’Donovan, dairy farmer, Dublin

“We [planted hemp] on a small conservation strip when we were coming out of a scheme. It grew very well but the biggest issue we found was that it was difficult enough to cut the product.

"We ended up doing it with an old-fashioned finger bar mower. The [decorticator] they mentioned, it costs about €450,000 which as one farmer said is ridiculous and non-viable for a farmer to invest and have nowhere to go with the product.”

Jamie Raftery, chef and forester, Galway

“The amount of products you can get out of it is incredible, from clothes and ropes to hempcrete and all the food products. It’s a phenomenal source of protein.

“One of the main barriers at the moment is capital investment and who’s going to pay for it.

“Is the Government going to pay for it again, or is industry going to step in.”