Up to €5m available for new flour mill projects
Proposed projects must demonstrate an ability to produce between 60,000 and 80,000 tonnes of high-quality wheat flour annually.
Efforts continue to support the establishment of new industrial-scale flour mills to rebuild Ireland’s milling capacity.
Ireland has only one industrial-scale flour mill, and the government announced an initiative in February to financially back new flour mills in Ireland.
The government has confirmed that Enterprise Ireland has engaged with several prospective companies that may be eligible for support, and continues to assess all applications received.
Through Enterprise Ireland, support of up to €5 million per eligible project is available. Proposed projects must demonstrate an ability to produce between 60,000 and 80,000 tonnes of high-quality wheat flour annually.
Projects must be able to strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of Ireland’s bakery and food supply chain.
The Irish bakery market is worth an estimated €995 million annually, with exports of more than €200 million. New flour mill projects in Ireland could reduce costs for an estimated 600 businesses in this sector, which have more than 7,000 people employed.
In February, agriculture minister Martin Heydon said: “With collaboration from industry and support from the marketplace, domestic production of milling wheat can play an important role in providing a new value-added opportunity in the supply chain for Irish tillage farmers.”
It is government policy to grow and develop the tillage sector.
Tom Cusack, head of Food at Enterprise Ireland, said: “Enterprise Ireland looks forward to working with companies assessing new investment opportunities in flour milling infrastructure.
"The initiative will support projects of scale that deliver improvements in efficiency, sustainability, and supply chain resilience, contributing to long-term competitiveness in the bakery sector.”
Separately from the scheme announced in February, small or artisanal mills with an export focus, and which are eligible to become Enterprise Ireland clients, may be considered for support under existing Enterprise Ireland funding programmes.
