Famous food company refutes Laois accusations of only using imported grain

An iconic Irish food company has refuted claims by Laois councillors that it is no longer buying Irish wheat.

Last week Laois county councillors called on the Government to subsidise and promote the domestic production of flour from native wheat.

The Cathaoirleach Cllr Thomasina Connell said that the flour produced by Odlums Mills, based in Portarlington, Laois, "isn't from Ireland" as it uses imported wheat.

"I think people don't know that the product isn't from Ireland. I think people using this brand care about that. The reason I brought this motion is because I wasn't aware that Odlums are rejecting Irish wheat," Cllr Connell claimed, at the September meeting of Laois County Council.

Her motion was seconded by grain grower Cllr PJ Kelly who claimed that the company don't take local wheat any more, saying "it is all imported".

Odlums has now responded to tell the Leinster Express that they do buy Irish wheat, but along with imported wheat.

"Odlums flour is produced and packaged in Ireland at the Odlums mill in Portarlington, Co. Laois, where grain is cleaned, blended, grounded, and sifted into different flour varieties which have been specifically developed by the team in Portarlington.

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"Odlums does import raw wheat to meet the significant demand of the Irish market but we always seek to source Irish wheat where it's available and of appropriate milling quality.

The company said the harvest is good in Ireland this year.

"We hope to be in a position to purchase a significant proportion of our wheat supplies this year from Ireland due to the good harvest experienced recently which has resulted in more wheat of suitable quality becoming available."

A spokesperson for the company also said that importing wheat is standard practice and that the "vast majority of Irish bread is produced by the bakery groups using imported wheat".

Odlums employs 35 people in Portarlington in what is now its only Irish mill. The company was founded in Portlaoise back in 1845. It is owned by Valeo Foods, which is itself owned by the multi billion US investment firm Bain Capital.

"Odlums has a proud history of milling and packing flour in Ireland for over 170 years and has been an integral part of Irish baking and cooking for generations. While the mill was upgraded following a significant €1 million investment by Valeo Foods seven years ago, it still maintains its core heritage and continues to employ approximately 35 people across the 6-acre flour mill site, many of whom have been with the company for generations."