Boortmalt, the subsidiary of French co-op Axéréal, has commenced an expansion at its Athy facility. The expansion will extend its malting capacity by 30,000t to 130,000t. The works will include new steeping, germination and kilning vessels, as well as additional malt outloading facilities, and is expected to be operational by January 2020.

Since 2018, the company has been seeking to expand its malting barley intake by up to 50,000t and has met with farmers in counties Louth, Meath, Westmeath, Galway, Donegal and Cork, in a bid to increase its existing base of 670 growers.

Peter Nallen, group operations officer, said: “Our ambition is to make malting barley the number one most profitable cereal in Ireland.”

He added that “this development will support malting barley growers to produce fully traceable Irish grain to the highest standards for all our distilling and brewing customers in Ireland”.

Boortmalt operates 10 malting plants in Europe producing about 1.1mt of malt per year making it the fifth largest malt producer in the world.