At the opening of Diageo’s new Littleconnell Brewery in Kildare on Monday 11 May, Taoiseach Mícheál Martin said he is keen to support tillage farmers.
Responding to a question from the Irish Farmers Journal on support for tillage in relation to the Government delivering €30m of the €67m or so outlined before the election by both parties, the Taoiseach said: “I think we’re very strongly supporting tillage farmers and we’re very keen to support tillage farmers.
"I think it’s important to reference the importance of the industry, particularly industries like brewing and distilling.”
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said: “The change in terms of how the €30m was allocated this year meant farmers by and large got over €100/ha (€40/ac) because it was more targeted at those who were most in need of that.
One of the brewhouses at Littleconnell Brewery.
“I’ve always said very clearly Government’s direct financial support for the tillage sector is in light of the fact that it’s been three really difficult years with price and with weather.
“The real future for our tillage sector is adding value. It’s developing a quality assurance scheme. It’s making sure our native grains are used more widely. The investment of Diageo here is a good example. Boortmalt is only down the road in Athy. Our malting barley growing area is very much all around here.”
Planning
The brewery was delayed in the planning system. The Minister had commented: “If this brewery had been built outside of the country, we would have seen a very significant change for the negative.
“The opportunity here to grow and for Irish farmers to benefit from the growth of Guinness and Guinness 0.0 is very evident here as well.
Some of the products to be produced at Littleconnell brewery.
“We also see the very significant impact Diageo has in terms of purchasing milk for the Baileys product, which is a world leader.”
An Taoiseach said: “It’s a positive story in terms of Irish agriculture and the connection with that high-end manufacturing. We need to keep that narrative out there too.”
€1bn investment
Diageo CEO Sir Dave Lewis said: “Building the most sustainable brewery in the world is not something you do easily.”
He added that Guinness is one of the world’s greatest brands and that the Irish ingredients are a big part of that, referring to the purchase of the estimated 10% of the native barley crop.
Diageo will invest a further €400m in “Brewery 2”, which is about to be built and, in total, the CEO said Diageo will invest approximately €1bn in Ireland from 2020 to 2029.
Read more on the new brewery.
At the opening of Diageo’s new Littleconnell Brewery in Kildare on Monday 11 May, Taoiseach Mícheál Martin said he is keen to support tillage farmers.
Responding to a question from the Irish Farmers Journal on support for tillage in relation to the Government delivering €30m of the €67m or so outlined before the election by both parties, the Taoiseach said: “I think we’re very strongly supporting tillage farmers and we’re very keen to support tillage farmers.
"I think it’s important to reference the importance of the industry, particularly industries like brewing and distilling.”
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said: “The change in terms of how the €30m was allocated this year meant farmers by and large got over €100/ha (€40/ac) because it was more targeted at those who were most in need of that.
One of the brewhouses at Littleconnell Brewery.
“I’ve always said very clearly Government’s direct financial support for the tillage sector is in light of the fact that it’s been three really difficult years with price and with weather.
“The real future for our tillage sector is adding value. It’s developing a quality assurance scheme. It’s making sure our native grains are used more widely. The investment of Diageo here is a good example. Boortmalt is only down the road in Athy. Our malting barley growing area is very much all around here.”
Planning
The brewery was delayed in the planning system. The Minister had commented: “If this brewery had been built outside of the country, we would have seen a very significant change for the negative.
“The opportunity here to grow and for Irish farmers to benefit from the growth of Guinness and Guinness 0.0 is very evident here as well.
Some of the products to be produced at Littleconnell brewery.
“We also see the very significant impact Diageo has in terms of purchasing milk for the Baileys product, which is a world leader.”
An Taoiseach said: “It’s a positive story in terms of Irish agriculture and the connection with that high-end manufacturing. We need to keep that narrative out there too.”
€1bn investment
Diageo CEO Sir Dave Lewis said: “Building the most sustainable brewery in the world is not something you do easily.”
He added that Guinness is one of the world’s greatest brands and that the Irish ingredients are a big part of that, referring to the purchase of the estimated 10% of the native barley crop.
Diageo will invest a further €400m in “Brewery 2”, which is about to be built and, in total, the CEO said Diageo will invest approximately €1bn in Ireland from 2020 to 2029.
Read more on the new brewery.
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