Irish Distillers: Securing quality ingredients and enhancing biodiversity

Spring barley is a significant raw ingredient in making Irish whiskeys such as Jameson, Powers, Redbreast, and Midleton Very Rare, but the impact of global warming and land quality deterioration means net barley production in Ireland is predicted to fall.

To tackle this issue and to help ensure a sustainable future for the industry Irish Distillers launched a programme to deepen their partnership with barley growers. Launched in 2020 the Sustainable Green Spring Barley Scheme now includes more than 200 barley growers.

Recognising that concrete actions must be taken to mitigate current challenges and maintain the quality of production, Irish Distillers launched the scheme to help preserve the land and make progress on sustainability in a way that focuses on mutual long-term benefits for farmers and distillers.

The programme is founded on three major commitments: improving the sustainability 
of the spring barley sector; supporting farmers in reducing their carbon footprint; and enhancing biodiversity on Irish tillage farms.

“We are delighted that more than 200 growers signed up to our Green Spring Barley scheme in its first year, a programme which financially incentivises farmers to grow spring barley sustainably and deliver additional environmental benefits on their farms.” CONOR MCQUAID CEO, IRISH DISTILLERS

The Sustainable Green Spring Barley Scheme will evolve year on year with input from individual farmers as well as important industry partners such as grain merchants and organisations like Teagasc, Bord Bia, Irish Grain Assurance and the IFA National Grain.

Making the transition to sustainable growing practices comes at a cost so the programme financially incentivises growers who sign up to join the scheme.

“:The quality of this barley is exceptional. Achieving this requires significant additional care and costs, which are borne by the farmer. The scheme announced today recognises the role that farmers play in the sustainable production of one of our most valuable agri-food exports.” MARK BROWNE IFA NATIONAL GRAIN COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

When growers meet the requirements of implementing the eight essential measures initiatives, the incentive is an additional direct payment of €15 per/tonne to those growers. Growers in the programme also choose three out of seven initiatives that have a direct and positive impact on biodiversity.
In the programme’s first year every single one of the 200 growers who signed up met the essential measures and all of them made efforts to implement the optional biodiversity initiatives.

Essential measures - Biodiversity initiatives

\Farm safety:  Uncultivated margins to regenerate the natural ecosystem
Quality standards:  Maintaining hedgerows as wildlife corridors on farmland
The use of certified seed:  Installation of bee boxes to assist with pollination
Membership of Irish Grain Assurance Scheme:  Planting of native wildflower margins to increase valuable habitat for wildlife
Nutrient management:  Using minimum tillage to improve soil quality
Glyphosate limitation:  Sowing catch crops to prevent soil erosion
Biodiversity and farm practices survey:  Retaining winter stubble unsprayed to improve winter survival of seed-eating birds.
Carbon Foot Printing survey:  Survey and better understanding the carbon footprint of on-farm activity