IFA requests meeting with Boortmalt on malting barley prices
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has requested a meeting with Boortmalt to discuss harvest 2026 malting barley prices.
This is in response to the mounting grower anger on the matter.
IFA's national grain committee chair, John Murphy, commented: "We do not want to fundamentally change the agreement that exists between the IFA and Boortmalt.
“But something has to be done to put the production of malting barley back onto a premium footing.
"And in the first instance, we will be calling on the malting operation to waive the €10/t handling charge deduction for 2026."
Unease has been growing at farmer level regarding the future prospects for malting barley over recent months.
This has been added to by the significant increase in fertiliser, fuel, and labour incurred by growers and the need to have these economic pressures fully realised in harvest 2026 prices.
With the new price schedules now published, large numbers of malting barley growers feel that their concerns were fully justified.
Teagasc’s recent Crops Forum was marked by a discussion on how premium cereal production opportunities can be further secured and developed in Ireland.
Another cause for growers’ concern is a perceived rise in the level of rejection by buyers of crops that had been grown to a malting specification.
IGGG
The Irish Grain Growers’ Group (IGGG) has also commented on the current state of malting barley prices.
A spokesperson for the organisation commented:
“The price announced for malting barley is an embarrassment to the Irish drinks industry and the Irish government for such loose rules governing the production of drink under the Irish banner.”
The IGGG representative also highlighted the perceived weaknesses of the current producer pricing system, adding: "The handling charge for growers of €10/t, introduced by Boortmalt, is just one example.
"The new prices are simply an insult to the generations of growers who supplied malting barley to our premium export brands over the years.
The spokesperson concluded: "What farmer would want to grow malting barley, to be supplied to Boortmalt, in 2027 after such an insulting price announcement?”
