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Irish
Distillers Sustainable Green Spring
Barley Scheme now includes more than 200
barley growers.
Irish Distillers recognises that
whiskey making is inextricably linked to
the health of the ecosystems that make
up our terroirs (the environmental
conditions, especially soil and climate)
and that any degradation of these has a
direct impact on the natural ingredients
they depend on for the production of
their iconic Irish whiskey brands.
Spring barley is a significant raw
ingredient in making Irish whiskeys such
as Jameson, Powers, Redbreast and
Midleton Very Rare, but the impact of
global warming and land quality
deterioration means net barley
production in Ireland is predicted to
fall. To deepen their partnership
with barley growers. Initially launched
in 2020 the Sustainable Green Spring
Barley Scheme now includes more than 200
barley growers.
Conor McQuaid CEO, Irish Distillers
commented: "At Irish Distillers, we
recognise the need to deepen and
strengthen relationships with our spring
barley growers. Our distillery in
Midleton is located in the part of
Ireland where this crop is largely
grown, and as such, some of our
suppliers are also our neighbours."
Easing the transition
Recognising that concrete actions must
be taken to mitigate current challenges
and maintain the quality of production,
Irish Distillers launched the scheme to
help preserve the land and make progress
on sustainability in a way that focuses
on mutual long-term benefits for farmers
and distillers.
The programme is founded on three major
commitments: improving the
sustainability of the spring barley
sector; supporting farmers in reducing
their carbon footprint; and enhancing
biodiversity on Irish tillage farms.
Conor McQuaid continued, "We are
delighted that more than 200 growers
signed up to our Green Spring Barley
scheme in its first year, a programme
which financially incentivises farmers
to grow spring barley sustainably and
deliver additional environmental
benefits on their farms."
The Sustainable Green Spring Barley
Scheme will evolve year on year with
input from individual farmers as well as
important industry partners such as
grain merchants and organisations like
Teagasc, Bord Bia, Irish Grain Assurance
and the IFA National Grain.
Incentivising farmers to grow
sustainably
Making the transition to sustainable
growing practices comes at a cost so the
programme financially incentivises
growers who sign up to join the scheme.
Mark Browne, IFA National Grain
Committee Chairman commented, "The
quality of this barley is exceptional.
Achieving this requires significant
additional care and costs, which are
borne by the farmer. The scheme
announced today recognises the role that
farmers play in the sustainable
production of one of our most valuable
agri-food exports."
When growers meet the requirements of
implementing the eight essential
measures initiatives, the incentive is
an additional direct payment of €15
per/tonne to those growers. Growers in
the programme also choose three out of
seven initiatives that have a direct and
positive impact on biodiversity.
In the programme’s first year every
single one of the 200 growers who signed
up met the essential measures and all of
them made efforts to implement the
optional biodiversity initiatives.
You will find Irish Distillers
impressive range of Irish whiskeys such
as Jameson, Powers, Redbreast and
Midleton Very Rare available from
specialist online whisky retailers such
as
The Whisky Exchange,
Amazon
and
Master of Malt
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