The Irish Farmers Association want the law change to allow them grow medicinal cannabis.
Recreational use of the drug is banned in the country, while special licences can be granted for its medicinal use.
The IFA say the tillage sector has declined by around 20% over the past couple of years and farmers want options to diversify.
Horticulture Executive with the union is Pat Farrell – he says with T-H-C being illegal in Ireland, the most valuable part of the plant is currently being destroyed here noting “The flowers have to be destroyed and that’s where the valuable part of the plant is so really what we’re saying is under the legislation if you produce any of the crop & it has even trace elements of THC, minute percentages, then that is not allowed at all so it’s just amending the legislation that you can have up to 0.2 or 0.3% of THC and then even when that would go to control processors”.
