Ireland: lrish whiskey makers can’t be prevented from importing barley – Agriculture Minister

Irish whiskey makers cannot be prevented from importing barley from other countries to make their products here, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue has told the industry, the Independent reported on December 7.

Last year, Irish whiskey secured geographical indication protection from the European Commission and it’s now recognised in dozens of markets around the world. It means only whiskey that’s distilled and matured on the island can be labelled and sold as Irish whiskey in those markets.

Mr McConalogue was asked last week by Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns to consider amending the geographical indication to state that barley used in the manufacture of Irish whiskey must be sourced on the island.

About 17pc of total Irish barley production is used in the drinks sector, while the remainder is typically used for animal feed and seed production.

About 90,000 tonnes of barley grown in Ireland every year is used by distillers, and 160,000 tonnes by brewers.

“Independent reports estimate 93pc of all barley used in brewing and distilling is native barley, and that the balance is sourced mainly from the UK, with some imports also from the EU,” noted Mr McConalogue.

He said that next year, the department will fund a new Teagasc facility which will be able to test raw materials for malting and the production of small batches of specialised malts for the craft beer sector, or for test batches for distilling firms.

“It is expected that this facility will assist in identifying how home-grown grain can be used to meet the requirements of the drinks industry,” the minister added.

He said restrictions could not be put on where distillers source their barley, due to EU rules.

“Whilst the Irish whiskey technical file contains specifics relating to the types and combinations of grains to be used for the creation of mashes for the production of each of the varieties of Irish whiskey, it does not specify any requirements regarding the sourcing of the raw materials including grains utilised in the production of Irish whiskey,” said Mr McConalogue.

There has been €1.55 bln invested in the Irish whiskey industry in the past 10 years due to a resurgence in distilling, according to a report last week from Drinks Ireland and the Irish Whiskey Association.

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