We should continue beet-growing and save sugar plants to put us on road to the future

THE so-called EU sugar reform, ill-conceived and ill-explained, resulted in the permanent loss of our 80-year-old thriving sugar industry, undermined our tillage farming and added millions of inefficient food miles to the sugar we use.

At a bargain price of €78 million (for reduced compensation), the EU did allow modifications of sugar quota and advocated conversion of the facilities for ethanol production and indeed promoted financial incentives to do so.

This offered a golden opportunity to convert both sugar factories to ethanol production at a huge capital discount.

But it seems it was not properly understood as no attempt was made by the Government, the Minister for Agriculture, the sugar undertaking or the IFA to evaluate this chance in a coordinated manner.

Of course it would have required long-term, dedicated excise duty remissions and objective and intelligent participation of the stakeholders.

Was this too much to expect? I think not.

The praiseworthy initiative of Cork County Council to have a study conducted last summer effectively showed that:

1. The highest land use potential for energy crops is from beet.

2. The newly-redundant facilities are ideally located and readily available for conversion.

3. That extended, specific, long-term excise remissions make economic sense and are essential to amortise the investment.

It is difficult to conceive of any intelligent reason to ignore the unique opportunity which, at a stroke and modest justifiable cost to the exchequer, would deliver the following:

* Total response to our EU biofuel obligations and the potential market of 220m litres shown in the county council report.

* Massively reduce our carbon emissions and, consequently, the risk of future fines and penalties.

* Restore a vital tillage crop to farmers offering the potential of €300 margin per acre.

* Sustainably underpin strategic fuel supplies.

Demolition of the plants makes no economic or environmental sense as we will need ethanol facilities in the future — of course there are none so blind as those who will not see. The energy green paper refers to beet for ethanol, but first we need Government decisiveness — not words.

Alan J Navratil

Ballincurra House

Midleton

Co Cork