IRISH hemp production has fallen dramatically as a result of changes to Government rules which are now being challenged in the High Court.
Ireland’s hemp industry is one of the oldest in the European Union (EU) with a fully operational supply chain since the 1990’s, reaching a footprint of 574 hectares in 2019.
However, whilst almost every other European country has seen significant recent increases in hemp cultivation, Ireland’s has fallen by over 40% since 2020.
Chris Allen of the Hemp Federation Ireland said: “This decline began when the Irish government decided that the legal EU hemp crop in its entirety was no longer eligible for state enterprise or agricultural grant support.
“Ireland has a modern fully-functioning industry but the Irish government started to change the way it interpreted various laws, rules and regulations in late 2018.
“Now the entire control of the agricultural supply chain for the agricultural industry is with pharmaceutical companies.
“State support for any commercial activity related to the farm crop, including the fibres and seeds, has been removed from the farming industry and Irish hemp is now in the control of pharmaceutical companies.
“As a result of these changes hemp production has nosedived in Ireland.” [Read More @ Businesscann]
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