Stradbally Town and Country will provide a grain intake for Boortmalt in Co. Laois this year. Growers from the Laois area will be able to deliver malting and distilling barley to Stradbally via tractor and trailer, rather than making the trek to Athy. Grain will be tested on-site in Stradbally.
Stradbally Town and Country buys mainly feed grains from a large hinterland. It opened in 2010 after purchasing ‘the Maltings’ site on Main St. This followed the closure of the site by Greencore in 2009. The location was originally an intake for Minch Norton and Minch Sales. Malting barley has been synonymous with the Stradbally area since the 1850s.
Transport allowance
Agronomy advice will be provided by Martin McDonald, Stradbally Town and Country. Any grower who spends €50/ac (excluding VAT) on crop inputs – at Stradbally Town and Country – will receive free transport for their grain, via lorry, to Athy.
Martin McDonald, Stradbally Town and Country
Currently, farmers who transport their grain by tractor and trailer to Athy cannot avail of a transport allowance; so, the opening of an intake in Stradbally will be a welcome boost for those farmers.
Bottleneck
The move will surely be a welcome one, as growers will no longer have to travel the distance to Athy. Long queues were also a problem in the Kildare town. The news of an intake in Stradbally will also be welcomed by farmers delivering to Athy, as queues should be shortened at this intake.
Tintern in Co. Wexford, which was closed at the same time as Stradbally, will also open as an intake this harvest.