John Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for taking this matter on the Adjournment and I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Connick.

I raise the issue of the growing of malting barley and the future of farmers, particularly in the south-east. Counties Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and Kildare are renowned for growing top-class malting barley. Due to the recent Greencore rationalisation plan, last year's figure of 11,000 malting barley growers is down to 500 this year. All farmers producing under 80 tonnes were dumped by Greencore. Recently the malt side of Greencore has been sold off as well, so it is a double whammy for farmers, particularly in the south east. The 500 who were left had high expectations that they would have a viable malting barley industry for the future, but while there were 130,000 tonnes for Minch Malt last year the figure this year is 75,000 tonnes.

However, I have raised this matter on the Adjournment to question the commitment of Diageo-Guinness to Irish farmers growing malting barley because of a situation that has developed in recent weeks. The south east is renowned for growing malting barley and yet Diageo-Guinness has been sidestepping the local supply. I know for a fact that it has been sourcing malting barley in the UK from a company called Crisp and taking it by lorry to St. James's Gate in Dublin, which is amazing considering the amount of malting barley and malt that is available in Athy at present.

I should like to know where we stand with Diageo and the prospect of it continuing to take malt for the future, and malting barley from Irish farmers. It has shelved its new proposed brewing facility at Grange Castle, Clondalkin and it has not given any great commitment to the farmers as regards the future. I believe it is a shame that it is now importing barley malt from the UK when there is an adequate supply in this country. As a result of the importation of the malt, the Athy malt plant was closed for three weeks, which is an amazing situation.

I understand Diageo-Guinness is again taking malt from Athy but I would like the Minister of State to ensure that we have a strong commitment from the company in this regard. Guinness has always been Irish through the generations and it now seems strange that while Guinness is still promoted as being produced from Irish malting barley, supplies are being sourced from England and indeed, Europe, at the present time.

The other area I should like to raise in relation to malting barley is the fact that Heinekan, which now owns Murphys and Beamish, is purchasing no malt at all in Ireland, and yet it, too, is promoting its product as being Irish to the core. I ask the Minister of State to have discussions with the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Brendan Smith and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, because both of them are relevant in this case.

As the Acting Chairman appreciates there is a substantial number of jobs in Dublin at St. James's Gate and we want to see Diageo-Guinness continuing to provide jobs and product in Ireland. We also want it to produce the product but from the adequate amount of malt that is available in this country at the present time.

Farmers in the south east have lost the beet industry in recent years. If they were to lose the malting barley crops in the future, this would have devastating effects on them, in Wexford and the adjoining counties as well. I ask the Minister of State to have discussions with both Ministers as well as directly with Diageo-Guinness as to where it is going in the future, wherein stands the commitment to the 500 growers - reduced from 11,000 - and about the future of the Athy plant.

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