For an island once dotted with mills, Ireland’s relationship with flour has become strangely distant. Two centuries ago, it is estimated that as many as 7,000 mills operated across the country. In modern Ireland, in 2026, we are left with just one industrial-scale flour mill. That is why news that the Government is to financially back new flour mills in Ireland marks a welcome change of direction. Many Farm Exam readers will remember the closure of Ireland’s last sugar beet factory and the devastating impact on growers.

Source: Irish Examiner February 18, 2026 17:55 UTC