The malt barley committee representing Boortmalt growers has had a difficult couple of years, with a succession of fractious meetings. A new low was reached on Monday night at a growers meeting in Carlow. There was a breakdown of any sense of good order, as more than one contributor lost composure and discipline with accusation and counter-accusation traded.

After two hours of escalating tension, Liam Dunne proposed that the meeting wind up to allow the nine-man committee try to thrash out their difficulties.

At the heart of matters was a lack of trust between members of the committee from Irish Malt Growers, including the recently elected chair James Kelly, and those who were more closely aligned with the IFA.

Irish Malt Growers members on the ground have been very critical of the achievements and methods of the committee under previous chair Mark Browne. Those closest to Browne were now expressing difficulty in working with the new chair.

After the meeting, there seemed to be a general realisation that the current impasse had to be resolved, as the committee had a responsibility to find a way to effectively represent growers in negotiations with the company.

The committee persevered until 2.30am on Monday night/Tuesday morning.

This did not resolve matters, but the IFA’s oftentime troubleshooter Jer Bergin talked to all sides through Tuesday, and a compromise proposal has found general acceptance.

Negotiations with Boortmalt will be conducted by a two-man team of chair James Kelly and John Foley, the most experienced member of the committee.

Each committee member will have responsibility for issues relevant to their own area. Harvest arrangements and quality issues are often regional in nature.

In fairness to James Kelly, he maintained his personal discipline and dignity on Monday night under the most severe pressure. If he and John Foley are supported by all Boortmalt growers, then perhaps normal relations among growers can be restored at future meetings.