Revival of sugar industry wins cross-party support

The joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine expressed cross-party support yesterday for a revival of the sugar industry, but suggested that the two main sugar groups should adopt a joint approach.

Addressing the committee, Beet Ireland and the Irish Sugar Bio Refinery Group made compelling economic and food security-based cases for the revival of the industry. Both sugar groups have partnered with industry and third-level experts to assess the proposed revived sugar industry’s needs in terms of acreage and finance, and its potential economic benefits.

A revived sugar sector would employ 2,000 growers and 250 full-time factory workers, and create another 500 jobs in constructing a new sugar and bioethanol refinery. Total jobs could reach 5,000.