Farmers, scientists and environmentalists are united in calling for a loosening of the regulations surrounding the growing of hemp in Ireland.
They are not talking about legalising marijuana for recreational use: hemp is a strain of the cannabis plant grown for industrial uses - of which there are many, including fibres, insulation and biodegradable plastics - and it contains negligible amounts of THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis.
But in Ireland, hemp is classed as a controlled drug, and you need a special grower's licence (from the Health Products Regulatory Authority) to grow it. Various restrictions apply - plants must not be visible from the road - and the THC content must not exceed 0.2pc. In most other European countries, the threshold is significantly higher. As a result, hemp is only grown on a minuscule scale here - just 370 hectares were planted last year, mostly for cannabidiol (CBD) oil, which is used in medical, cosmetic and food products.
"That's why the industry has been slow to take off in this country," says Dr Barry Caslin, Teagasc's energy and rural development specialist. "We don't have a processing infrastructure that would give farmers confidence to grow the product. And that's because of the grey areas in the legislation. Investors are slow to invest.
