The Irish Grain Producers Group (IGG) is looking for a new logo for producers of food, beverages and animal feeds that use exclusively Irish cereals.

Noting that more than 7 million tons of cereals were imported to Ireland last year for food and feed, IGG said it was possible to develop a premium brand for Irish grain.

“At present, there are no standards that would require grain users to malt, distill or produce food, evidence that they are 100% truly using Irish grain,” the IGG report said.

A group of producers claims that “many companies” stated for “marketing purposes” that their grain was “locally and Irish,” but the IGG indicated that these allegations could not be verified.

“We need a scheme that identifies the actual tonnage of the Irish grain used, 100% eliminates the false claims of the Irish and pays a premium for the Irish grain grown, which will support the industry in the future,” said an IGG spokesman.

“IGG proposes that companies using only Irish grain have a logo that states that they use exclusively Irish grain. The use of this logo will be based on an inspection mode, possibly from Bord Bia, which will clearly identify the source of the grain as being grown in Ireland, ”says the Irish Grain Producers Group.