Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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781. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the percentages and tonnage of Irish grain and imported grain used in the production of Irish whiskey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48135/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine does not have official figures for the percentage and tonnage of grain, native and imported, used in the production of Irish whiskey.

An Independent report (Wallace Report July 2020 - Economic Impact Assessment of the Tillage Sector in Ireland) estimates that approximately 387,000 tonnes of grain (native and imported) was used annually by the brewing and distilling industry in the period 2014 - 2018. The report estimates that 65% or 252,000 tonnes of the 387,000 tonnes total utilisation is native barley. The balance is sourced from the UK and the EU.

As only basic malt is produced in Ireland, drinks requiring specialised malts are often either reliant on imported malt or the export of Irish grain for processing and the re-importation for use in the drinks industry.

My Department has funded the purchase of equipment for a Teagasc facility to test raw materials for malting and the production of small batches of specialised malts for the craft beer and distilling sector. The equipment will also provide a facility for brewing and distilling companies to test new varieties/crops on a small commercial scale and to produce different styles of malt for different beers or spirits at a craft scale. It is expected that this facility will assist in identifying how home-grown grain can be used to meet the requirements of the drinks industry.