SUGAR production in Ireland, now consolidated in a single site at Mallow, could be abandoned following radical EU reforms, a study claimed yesterday.

Ray Ryan, Agribusiness Correspondent

A MAJOR campaign to protect the €140 million Irish sugar beet industry from what has been described as devastating reform proposals by the European Union will be launched this week.

GROWERS’ income per tonne of beet will drop from €19/t in 2004 to €9.70/t in 2007 under the EU sugar reform proposals and that includes the proposed new direct payment, the IFA has claimed.

RULES for the IFA Sugar Beet Section have been updated to bring it more closely into line with the Association’s national commodity committees.