Ireland’s fledgling hemp industry will not be able to reach its full potential unless a number of policy changes are made by the Department of Agriculture, say growers.
Having been heralded as a possible lifeline for scores of hard pressed small farmers, the development of the hemp sector has largely stagnated over the past 12 months.
According to the Hemp Co-Operative of Ireland, a number of minor changes could go a long way towards making hemp a valuable cash crop for farmers.
Top of the list is allowing more profitable varieties of hemp to be grown in Ireland, but the Co-op is also campaigning for hemp to be included in the Protein Aid Scheme and for the duration of licenses to be extended to two or even five years.
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