‘Sugar beet industry can be revived if farmers are willing’

THE Carlow sugar factory was the life-blood of the south eastern town and county from its establishment in 1926 to its closure in 2005.

In the past year there have been rumours and open discussion about reviving the sugar beet industry in the region.

An Oireachtas report on the future of the tillage sector produced by the Committee on Agriculture published late last year called for a review of the opportunities in sugar beet.

Earlier this year Beet Ireland, a lobby group seeking to re-establish the Irish sugar beet industry, acquired a 200ac site for a factory at Plumperstown on the Carlow-Kildare border.

Michael Hoey of Beet Ireland believes there is a real market for Irish sugar.

“As a food producer we are importing huge amounts of ingredients, there is a definite willingness in the Irish food industry to buy Irish sugar,” he said.

While the tillage sector is going through a tough time at the moment he nevertheless believes there are real possibilities.

Now that Beet Ireland has bought the site for a new factory at Plumperstown on the Carlow-Kildare border, and raised awareness of the potential for the industry, Mr Hoey believes that it is up to the farmers to take the opportunity.

“We have the best site in the country, the quotas are gone, all it will take is a willingness on the part of farmers to make it happen,” he said.