MAGB Chairman congratulates sector for strong trading year

London | The Maltsters’ Association of Great Britain (MAGB) held their AGM once again in London on 5th November 2024. The MAGB Chairman, Charles Tozer, described how the sector continues to perform strongly on the back of firm trading from both brewers and distillers. He explained further that the sector continues to invest for the future in malting capacity, decarbonisation and by working closely with the barley supply chains to embed improved environmental practices which will meet the longer-term sustainability goals of all parties in the brewing and distilling sectors.

The guest speaker, NFU Scotland Vice President Andrew Connon, emphasised the importance of alignment up and down the supply chain to ensure that all parties benefit from the UK’s strong whisky distilling sector and that this alignment would then be key to future growth.

The Chairman addressed the longer-term challenges facing the malting sector, including the generational shift which continues to tax our member companies. He also highlighted the MAGB’s Skills Forum that has seen a tremendous increase in attendance at our in-house training courses in the past year. These courses allow people to learn more about the malting process at their own pace and level from the introductory level up to degree level. Continuing the theme of personal development, the Chairman congratulated the two candidates who passed their Master Maltster qualification in the past year. 

Apprenticeship in Malting

The malting industry’s work to establish a new Apprenticeship in Malting has been challenging with the change in Government, but the learnings from the process will benefit future training activity. However, the industry remains committed to establishing the Apprenticeship in Malting for all with the long-term benefits to the industry this initiative will bring.