Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I presume the Deputy is referring to recent reports of imports of malt from the UK by a major Irish brewer. This is a private commercial matter for the company in which I have no role. However, since my Department has had a long association with the malting barley industry in Ireland, I am naturally interested in developments in this area. With regard to its decision to use imported malt, I understand the company continues to source 90% of its malt requirement for their brewing operation in Ireland and its commitment in this regard is unchanged.

The past decade has seen significant changes in the malting barley industry in Ireland. My Department's association with the growing of malting barley began with the introduction of a Guinness-initiated programme of breeding and trialling, dating back to the early 1900s, to improve the varieties of malting barley available to Irish growers. This association was formalised in 1971 when my Department and Guinness agreed to share the operating costs of the programme. The programme ceased in 2002 with Guinness withdrawing from it.

A number of other significant developments also took place in the brewing industry in Ireland at that time. These changes resulted in a new operating relationship and cost structure arrangement between my Department and the malting industry on the programme of variety breeding and trialling. The malting industry and my Department collaborate in identifying the most suitable barley varieties for malting through the official Department variety evaluation programme. The industry pays an annual fee to the Department for providing this service.

The past decade has also seen increased focus and discussion between maltsters and growers' representatives with regard to the prices being paid. However, this is a matter exclusively for the growers and the malting companies. Irish grain growers have a well established track record of producing high quality malting barley which has been facilitated by the breeding and trialling programme to which I have referred and I am confident they will continue to produce this high quality product.

See this speech in context