United Kingdom: The UK malting business has been rationalised in recent years due to a world over supply of malt. In the UK considerable restructuring has taken place with the number of malting companies and sites reduced. In 1990 there were 28 companies operating 62 sites, in 1994 22 companies operating 55 sites and by 2001 just 17 companies operating 40 sites. Of these there are six plants with capacity in excess of 80,000 tonnes per year and 12 plants with a capacity of less than 10,000 tonnes per year.

There has been a movement away from integration by ownership, with the five major ‘sales maltsters’ integrating though contractual and other business relationships with grain merchants and co-operatives, and with the major brewers. In the UK brewing industry, the four large companies had about 75% of market share in 2003, according to the results from a Cereal Industry Review published by the HGCA Board in November 2004.