Drinks Ireland, the industry body representing the alcoholic beverages industry, has called for an increase in tillage production and a “fair income” for tillage farmers in its submission on the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan (CSP) consultation.

The Ibec body highlights that Irish-produced malt and grain represents over two-thirds of all the malt and grain used in Irish brewing and distilling.

“The Irish brewing and distilling industries make an important contribution to the Irish tillage sector and to Ireland’s agricultural economy,” Drinks Ireland says.

“Equally, the Irish tillage farming sector and the Irish malting industry are important indigenous suppliers to the Irish drinks industry.”

The group welcomes the ambition to increase the area under tillage cultivation as outlined in the Food Vision 2030 strategy.

“As exports of Irish drinks categories continues to grow, there is need to ensure a sustainable supply of Irish-produced malt and grain. We submit that this objective should be supported through Irish government policy, including CAP,” Drinks Ireland says.

The group recommends that Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan should support “a fair income for Irish tillage farmers and – while keeping with EU objectives – should support the delivery of the Food Vision 2030 strategy target for increased tillage production”.

This recommendation includes increasing the area planted under spring barley.

Drinks Ireland expressed concern over the Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS), which, it argued, would see payments cut for between 34% and 45% of tillage farmers.

The group argues that CRISS, as it applies to tillage farmers, should be reviewed, “particularly in terms of substantially lower emissions levels compared to other farm systems”.

The body also says it is “disappointed that proposed interventions fail to include any specific scheme to support the sustainable supply of Irish-produced malt and grain”, saying the lack of such a scheme is a “missed opportunity”.

Drinks Ireland argues that schemes such as a Coupled Income Support for Protein Aid and a Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme offer models that could be adapted to develop an eco-scheme or intervention to support the sustainable supply of eligible crops for the drinks industry.

The industry group is also calling on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to review the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs), namely GAEC 8 on crop rotation on arable land, to minimise the potential impact of this rule on planting spring barley.