The good weed

“It’s not our fight. Our view is that we don’t have anything to do with it whatsoever. We don’t have any opinion on it.”

So says Terry Barman, Galway-based Director of Hemp Ireland, when asked about his company’s views on the legalisation of cannabis. It’s clear that in his line of business he has enough work on his hands as it is.

The hemp industry ranks among the oldest on the planet, going back more than 10,000 years to when humans had just started mucking around with pottery. A tad more recently (1997 to be exact) Terry Barman helped set up Hemp Ireland and the company has since been busy researching and developing high quality hemp fibre mainly for the textile industry.

“We’re involved in research,” explains Terry “from seed variety to growing conditions, from harvesting and pre-harvesting to processing, drying, storing and manufacturing into products. It’s impossible to start up a business without researching all of those areas. It’s very involved.”

When you consider that over 25,000 products can be made from hemp it becomes apparent that it could prove to be a very lucrative business.

“There are so many potential products, from the outside fibre which is used in all types of textiles, to the wood core for paper, absorbent materials or plastics,” Terry points out. He adds that he has a chart on his wall that lists out and illustrates all the uses. I’m betting that he owns quite a big wall.

Terry goes on to explain that every part of the plant is researched and has potential value. “There are the gums, the core, the seed, the leaf. If you can separate them efficiently they are all products in their own right. To separate all the components as quickly, efficiently and cost effectively as possible... that’s the industrial battle.”

But what of another battle? With the inevitable associations with cannabis, one could be forgiven for assuming that drumming up support from investors could result in a real head ache. Terry says this is not the case.

“People have been nice. In this country in particular there is not much support for start-up businesses in any case. Once you get over that one you are dealing with a situation where it is not the cannabis that is turning people off, it’s actually the agricultural and textile issues.”

So people have responded well to Hemp Ireland? “Support is a difficult thing, but people have done as much as they can for us in our first phase and we will get support should we get to our second phase. We have politicians that are happy to sign their names to it, we would like more financial support but we don’t get bogged down in it.”

But is there a stigma attached to the hemp industry that will remain as long as it is still illegal to spark up a joint?

“The people who are lobbying for the legalisation of cannabis, a lot of the same people are lobbying for industrial hemp to be widespread,” he admits. “You get a lot of that, especially in the States. In Holland it’s about hemp products and cannabis. There are a lot of mixed views...”

However, Terry makes it clear that Hemp Ireland don’t have anything to do with the fight for the legalisation of cannabis.

“Hemp is a business, an industrial thing and it is wrapped up in monopolies... We have enough of a fight on our hands trying to get the learning curve up and trying to get the crop right, and the machinery, and the money. We don’t have time to be dealing with enthusiasts who are enthusiasts about hemp but don’t know the first thing about it.”

A lot of support for Hemp Ireland comes from Green groups who are enamoured of the eco-friendly attributes of the crop. And, indeed, Hemp Ireland is steering clear of routes other companies have gone down and avoiding eco-nasties such as spraying crops with defoliants, chemical processing and GM.

“Our approach is as environmentally sound as you can get,” says Terry. “We’re growing organic crops and we’re interested in the organic production of hemp.”

Safe in the knowledge that it won’t ruin the planet, Hemp Ireland moves on to its next and most vital phase this year. The plan is for a big processing plant to be based in Tipperary. Would Terry be willing to entertain enquiries from rock star investors who might be reading these pages? With a big grin he nods, “That would be nice. It could be a nice tax write-off for people with big wallets.”

Meantime, Terry Barman is thinking even further afield, if you’ll forgive the pun.

“Nettles... they are something I am going to investigate in the next year or two,” he promises. “In a couple of years you could have enough seed to grow 100 acres without any of the huge costs of hemp seed breeding. You could do it so much cheaper. Nettle fibre is like silk. It’s fantastic. Very suited to our

climate.”