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.