A pilot Sustainability Assurance Scheme, aligned with Origin Green, has been launched by the Department of Agriculture which is collaborating with Bord Bia, the Malting Barley Company of Ireland (MCI) and the Irish Grain Assurance Scheme (IGAS) on the initiative.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon made the announcement at the Food Vision Tillage Group meeting on Wednesday 10 December.
The Department will support the setting up of the pilot. Farmers will be required to use AgNav to calculate their farm emissions. AgNav is audited by the IGAS.
It is then expected that industry will reward the farmer through a payment. The MCI which is co-owned by Dairygold and Tirlán, is the industry partner in this case working with farmers to take part in the scheme. The scheme is still in the development stage but is expected to be up and running in 2026.
The Minister welcomed “the positive dialogue with end users in the market to ensure there are additional returns to growers based on the measurement and verification of sustainability credentials at farm level".
“Together, these initiatives will allow growers demonstrate the low-carbon credentials of Irish grain, strengthening market differentiation and supporting access to premium markets,” he said.
Tillage farmers can sequester carbon by growing cover crops.
Malting barley demand is low at present, but markets are expected to pick up in the next two years again. However, the Minister said the scheme “will provide for stronger recognition of the sustainability and provenance of Irish grain, stronger market differentiation, greater transparency for consumers and processors and the potential to command a premium in food and drink markets".
The Irish Grain Growers’ Group welcomed the announcement and said “it’s a step in the right direction to recognise native Irish grain, which is severely lacking in the agricultural in general”.
A pilot Sustainability Assurance Scheme, aligned with Origin Green, has been launched by the Department of Agriculture which is collaborating with Bord Bia, the Malting Barley Company of Ireland (MCI) and the Irish Grain Assurance Scheme (IGAS) on the initiative.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon made the announcement at the Food Vision Tillage Group meeting on Wednesday 10 December.
The Department will support the setting up of the pilot. Farmers will be required to use AgNav to calculate their farm emissions. AgNav is audited by the IGAS.
It is then expected that industry will reward the farmer through a payment. The MCI which is co-owned by Dairygold and Tirlán, is the industry partner in this case working with farmers to take part in the scheme. The scheme is still in the development stage but is expected to be up and running in 2026.
The Minister welcomed “the positive dialogue with end users in the market to ensure there are additional returns to growers based on the measurement and verification of sustainability credentials at farm level".
“Together, these initiatives will allow growers demonstrate the low-carbon credentials of Irish grain, strengthening market differentiation and supporting access to premium markets,” he said.
Tillage farmers can sequester carbon by growing cover crops.
Malting barley demand is low at present, but markets are expected to pick up in the next two years again. However, the Minister said the scheme “will provide for stronger recognition of the sustainability and provenance of Irish grain, stronger market differentiation, greater transparency for consumers and processors and the potential to command a premium in food and drink markets".
The Irish Grain Growers’ Group welcomed the announcement and said “it’s a step in the right direction to recognise native Irish grain, which is severely lacking in the agricultural in general”.
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