Tillage farmers are being squeezed out of existence.
A report launched this week by the joint Oireachtas committee on agriculture revealed malting barley growers receive just five cents or 1% from the price of a pint of Guinness sold at €5.
The report, which attempts to offer solutions for the country’s embattled tillage sector, was launched on Wednesday by the committee’s chair Pat Deering TD.
The revelation that tillage farmers are receiving such a tiny portion of the price of Guinness comes at a time when the drinks sector is booming.
The report says: “There has been explosive growth in the number of distilleries in Ireland, from a low of four distilleries to 18 at present, with a further 16 at various stages of the planning process.”
It is a stark example of how all farmers are getting squeezed at the expense of larger entities along the supply chain. European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan described the European food chain as unsustainable ahead of the Irish Farmers Journal Dairy Day event on Thursday.
The report said a well-funded CAP, greater access to credit, the renewal of glyphosate and the introduction of crop insurance were critical to the sector’s survival.
Salvage operations
Tillage farmers suffered four successive harvests with poor prices while the last two seasons have been salvage operations. Thousands of acres of straw have been lost, with knock-on effects for livestock farmers, who are struggling to source straw.
IFA grain chair Liam Dunne said Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed “must now act on the recommendations made in this comprehensive report and at the tillage forum”.
Bobby Miller of the Irish Grain Growers said the sector has “been left rudderless for far too long and is suffering the serious consequences now”.
Future of Irish tillage sector is in diversity and direct payments