A protest is to take place outside the gates of Guinness in Dublin on Tuesday as the Irish Grain Growers Group aims to highlight the current challenges facing traditional malting barley growers and indeed the tillage sector as a whole.

Following on from its demonstration recently outside Minch Malt, part of Boortmalt in Athy, the group has said that it now finds itself having to head to St. James’s Gate.

A statement from the group said: “The move is due to receiving no reply from our correspondence to Boortmalt and its farmer-owned parent company Axereal.

“Indeed we were thoroughly dismayed with the Diageo/Guinness response to the situation in which they effectively washed their hands of the current crisis by saying that they have no direct dealings with farmers and they carry out their purchasing of malted barley with Boortmalt.

“They even said that they do not set the price of the pint in the pubs when we suggested that the price of the pint should drop by at least 10c due to the poor price of malting barley.

“We are sure many publicans would have an opinion on that. We are repeating our call to have the price of the pint dropped by at least 10c for customers.”

According to the group they are making it clear “that Diageo effectively sets the price for malting barley as they buy most of the malt from Boortmalt”.

It said that Diageo has huge buying power in the relationship and are profiting on the back of growers.

“Indeed, the forward selling part of the current pricing model with Boortmalt applies to barley destined for Diageo.

“As this share of contracted barley was 70% in 2017, it is clear that Diageo’s claim that is has no role whatsoever in negotiations regarding the price of malting barley is disingenuous at best.”

National scandal

Quoting from the Guinness website in its press release the group said: “It begins with barley. Barley sown in Irish soil and malted behind our famous gates. It's not an easy grain to grow, which is why we have relationships with farmers that span three generations.”

Continuing, the group believes that it would be a national scandal that the raw materials would have to be imported.

“This is the reality that Diageo/Guinness are facing. They must realise that it is not 1759 in terms of time but high noon for malting barley growers.

“The relationship and history between traditional Irish malting barley growers and Guinness would be lost, a key marketing tool used by Diageo at present in the Guinness Storehouse and in advertising campaigns. The damage to brand Ireland would be incalculable.

“We are heading to the Guinness storehouse the biggest tourist destination in Ireland where we Irish farmers are used as part of the story of Guinness.

“We will be handing in letters to be given to Guinness/Diageo staff.”

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Pictures and podcast: grain protest heading for Guinness Storehouse