Farmers protest over Guinness prices

GUINNESS was warned yesterday that it will have to pay a realistic price to Irish malting barley growers if it wants to keep the harp on the pint of stout.

As 400 farmers protested outside Guinness brewery at St James’s Gate in Dublin, Irish Farmers Association president Padraig Walshe said traditional malting barley growing in Ireland is under threat while Diageo and Greencore Malt continue to take growers for granted.

“We need to build a new business contract. Growers must be given the same security as malsters and brewers. They cannot make business decisions under the current system because pricing is decided at the whim of the buyer. Their counterparts in Britain enjoy a far more transparent arrangement where growers can lock into a price before they sow the crop,” he said