Irish Distillers is partnering with Bank of Ireland to offer Enviroflex sustainability-linked loans to tillage farmers for the first time.
The Enviroflex loans will provide discounted flexible finance, which aims to incentivise farmers to continue implementing sustainability-focused improvements on their land.
This collaboration comes on the back of a wide range of successful Enviroflex partnerships that Bank of Ireland had already developed in the dairy sector, throughout 2024.
Irish Distillers is now the first to partner with Bank of Ireland in support of these loans to the tillage sector, with sustainability-linked financing now available to participants of Irish Distillers’ Sustainable Green Spring Barley Scheme.
Launched in 2020, the Sustainable Green Barley Scheme is a tailored sustainability programme for barley growers to support the long-term viability of the spring barley sector in Ireland by incentivising and rewarding growers for delivering environmental and diversity initiatives on their farms.
The programme is founded on three major commitments: enhancing biodiversity on Irish tillage farms, improving the sustainability of the spring barley sector, and supporting farmers in reducing their carbon footprint.
Barley growers have to implement eight essential measures to qualify for an additional financial premium as part of the scheme.
They must also choose an additional three to four measures that specifically have a direct and positive impact on biodiversity.
‘Promote Sustainable Agriculture’
Speaking about the partnership, the head of sustainability and compliance at Irish Distillers, Graham Caulwell, said, “Irish Distillers has a proud history of buying quality grain from Irish farmers to produce our whiskeys, and we are committed to working in partnership with our growers to respond to the challenges of climate change and to promote sustainable agriculture through initiatives such as our Sustainable Green Spring Barley Scheme.
“We are proud to partner with Bank of Ireland to provide further funding options to tillage farmers to strengthen our shared goal of improving our collective environmental footprint through new practices and innovative technologies, and supporting the economic viability of barley-growing in Ireland.”
Eoin Lowry, agri-sector head at Bank of Ireland, added, “Bank of Ireland is delighted to launch this new Enviroflex partnership with Irish Distillers – the first time these loans have been made available to tillage farmers, and further supporting our stated ambition to make this product more widely available across the agriculture industry.
“A vast number of dairy farmers looking to enhance their farms’ sustainability have already availed of Enviroflex loans, and we now look forward to working with Irish Distillers to reward tillage farmers who implement more sustainable farming practices with discounted finance options.”
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