Ireland: Carlow Malting Company set to begin construction of new malting plant next year

Carlow Malting Company is set to begin construction on its new maltings plant in 2026 which will be ready for production in 2027, the Farmers Journal reported on October 22.

The company had secured planning approval in 2023, but made some changes to that application.

The new permission was granted by Carlow County Council last week. The main changes to the original plan are the replacement of flat grain storage with six grain silos, more efficient grain cleaning facilities and increased storage for finished malt. The new facility will require an investment of €25-30m.

One of three directors at Carlow Malting Company, Conor Sweeney told the Irish Farmers Journal that, while the malting market is in difficulty at present, he is confident that it will pick up in the medium to long-term and expects an increase in demand in 2027 and 2028.

Once fully operational, the maltings will require about 25,000t of green barley to produce about 20,000t of malt. When completed the malting process at the facility should be carbon neutral.