Plans to develop a new Irish malt facility in Carlow are still on track, although it will not be ready for barley this harvest.

Thornhill Agri Limited gained planning approval for a malting plant at Newstown, Ardattin, Tullow, Co Carlow in September 2023.

An amended planning application was made last November, to include the construction of six grain silos, 22 metres in diameter and 21.5 metres high, with associated underground conveyors and gantries.

These silos will replace two grain sheds that were part of the original planning application. The facility, when built, will be able to cater for up to 25,000t of malting barley annually.

It will represent a significant addition to the Irish grain sector’s value-added product base.

Boortmalt and the Malting Company of Ireland, the two long-established large-scale malt operations in the country, have both plans for expanded malting capacity, but the new Thornhill maltings will be independent of both of those operations.

Ireland’s distilling sector is currently undergoing some challenges, with the closure of Waterford Whiskey, the imposition of tariffs, which are limited to 10% for the present, and a longer than normal seasonal closure of the Irish Distilleries facility in Midleton.

However, there is long-term optimism for Irish-made beers and spirits, and the expansion and diversification of malting capacity can only be welcomed.