North Cork will reap the benefits of Ireland’s return to the sugar industry with a number of foreign direct investment companies poised to jump in once a new sugar factory is built here. That’s according to Fine Gael TD Tom Barry who said this week that huge progress has been made on the issue of allowing Ireland return to the sugar industry.

“Sugar could have been sacrificed in the CAP negotiations but we lobbied against that happening and we were successful,” he explained. “They wanted to keep the quotas in place until 2020 which would bring them under a new CAP agreement, but the date set for abolition is 2017 and I think Ireland has a good chance of getting a quota before that – in 2016 perhaps.” Pointing out that seven companies control sugar in Europe, he said, “We’ve taken on Goliath and won. It was a huge move to get this.”

Deputy Barry said the CAP negotiations went extremely well generally and he paid tribute to Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney. “Everything we went out looking for was granted, it’s been a good day,” he said, adding “we will see a huge amount of benefits of this coming back to North Cork.”

While he said that “Kilworth was never going to happen” as regards the location for the new sugar factory, because too much work had gone into planning on the Tipperary site, he believes North Cork can capitalise on the opportunity presented by the new factory as it will have 40% excess production which other industries such as chocolate manufacturers would be keen to have a ready supply of.

Add to that the fact that Mitchelstown and Mallow have ready supplies of fresh milk and we are at a distinct advantage, he pointed out. Asked by The Avondhu whether any such new industry would be established in Mallow or Mitchelstown, he said both have points in their favour. It’ll be a matter of Cork County Council being organised and ready to make their pitch for the area that is most advantageous, he explained.

Deputy Barry also said he’d met with officials from the sugar cane company Tate and Lyle recently and they indicated their interest in working with the sugar industry here.

Far from being competitors in the sugar industry, it was “the exact opposite” he stressed. “We set up good communications with them. They are anxious to work with us, they want to support the Irish sugar business,” he revealed.

He anticipates being able to make an announcement regarding new sugar-related industry early next year.

“A number of companies are waiting to jump in once the main new sugar factory investors are on board, they’ll be able to prepare the ground work then,” he said.