Last gasp sugar effort call

BEET growers’ leader Jim O’Regan has called for a last gasp effort to save the sugar industry, which is delivering payments of €1,200 per acre to farmers for this year’s bumper crop.

High yields and one of the highest prices on record are coming to the rescue of beet growers whose cereal crops contributed little to their profits this year.

Crops are averaging 18 tonnes per acre and farmers are getting €65 per tonne.