Hemp Cooperative Ireland (HCI) has said that a shortfall in government policy has resulted in a lack of EU funding to help grow the Irish hemp industry.

The comments come as the vice-chair and founder of the co-op, Kate Carmody, prepares to address the EU Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) next week.

The workshop entitled ‘Hemp in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform’ on Tuesday (February 28) will provide information on EU support for the cultivation of the crop.

Carmody, who has an organic farm in north Kerry, will present the hemp farming story from Ireland including the potential and challenges.

Hemp

Hemp can be used in the construction; car manufacturing; paper; food; animal bedding; clothing; drinks; health; pharmaceutical; bio-fuel; and cosmetics industries.

The current Programme for Government includes a commitment to fully explore fibre crops, such as hemp, and consider whether these crops have a viable market.

A consultation report published last October by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) stated that there was an increase in the area of hemp sown in Ireland from 2016-2019.

However, there was a 77% decrease in the area sown between 2019-2022 from 316ha to 72ha. The department said that there were 2ha of linseed/flax grown in Ireland in 2022.

Hemp production in the EU has decreased since 2019 to 33,860ha in 2020 and 33,300ha in 2021.

The DAFM report said that “hemp can be successfully grown in Ireland and offers opportunities for diversification and crop rotation while delivering environmental benefits”.

It noted that growing crops such as hemp for fibre production only is not currently viable in Ireland.

The department said that scaling up a crop fibre industry would depend on “numerous factors” such as stable markets, significant capital investment to increase processing capacity, and collaboration with all stakeholders along the supply chain.

“While the outcome of this consultation does not support the viability of fibre crops such as hemp in Ireland, it is a matter for the industry to address and bring forward a proposal containing viable options for consideration,” the report stated.

barn Kerry repair GLAS
Kate Carmody

However, HCI vice-chair Kate Carmody said that the department consultation was “limited” as it only considered the stalk of the plant and not “the multitude of other potential products”.

Carmody said the report fails to note the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had on the area grown from 2019-2020.

HCI maintains that industrial hemp grown for fibre should be removed from the Misuse of Drugs Act and treated as an agricultural protein/oilseed crop.

Current legislation in Ireland does not allow for the growing of hemp unless a specific license has been granted by the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) which operates under the Department of Health.

HCI said that due to a shortfall in policy, there has been a lack of grant funding from the EU to grow the hemp industry in Ireland.

The co-op has now extended its brief to also include flax and medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPS).

“These plants have an important role in developing the bioeconomy in Ireland,” Carmody said.

“We appreciate that developing this industry disrupts many corporates interests, but Ireland has always led the way with agricultural cooperatives, and we are up for the challenge,” she added.