Boortmalt Deduction Far Too Severe

Reacting to Boortmalt’s decision to accept malting barley at 60-63kph, IFA Grain Chair Kieran McEvoy said the price reduction of €25/t was far too severe.

The IFA Malting Barley Committee met today. “We are totally opposed to this reduction, and we are looking for an urgent meeting with Boortmalt,” he said.

“The quality of malting barley has been very good this year despite earlier concerns about the impact that much-delayed spring planting would have. Still, up to 15% of growers within the different intake regions have had issues meeting the 63kph limit,” McEvoy said.

“With tillage incomes on the floor, it is more important than ever that growers get premium crops like malting barley passed over the weighbridge. With this in mind, the IFA Malting Barley Committee requested that Boortmalt management review the 63kph parameter at the start of the harvest,” he said.

“This flat rate deduction from Boortmalt is far too severe and much more extreme than other grain industry deductions for kph. Growers took a real risk planting malting barley in late April and into early May. Yields on these crops are already compromised. This deduction is a further blow to tillage incomes this year,” Kieran McEvoy said.