The minister delivered a shot in the arm to the tillage sector, underpinning full funding for the straw chopping scheme this week.

However, any positivity quickly evaporated when news broke of further proposed cuts to malting barley contracts.

The IFA was quickly on the pitch to unanimously reject the Boortmalt contract cuts acknowledging it is a difficult time for sales in the distilling industry, but that contracts were in place.

It’s another very real example of the primary producer signing up and acting on a contract in good faith, spending money on inputs with an end view in sight, only for the rug to be pulled out from under them. This really undermines the relationship and validity of future contracts.