A report released by the Brewers Association of Australia shows how sourcing ingredients from local farmers is having a positive impact on agriculture and benefiting the economy.
The figures show Australian brewers sourced almost $500m worth of barley and hops from domestic farms which also supported almost 3000 full-time equivalent jobs in the sector.
More broadly, the impact to the economy is 100,000 full-time equivalent jobs and $16 billion.
For every direct full-time equivalent job in the brewing industry there are 7.7 jobs in pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants to sell the beer.
According to the report, Australia’s brewers source more than 1 million tonnes of malting barley from Australian farmers every year. Hops growers in Tasmania and Victoria produce 1600 metric tonnes a year.
Brewers Association CEO, John Preston, said the report shows the true scale of brewing’s importance for Australia’s economy.
“Australians overwhelmingly drink beer brewed in Australia made with Australian ingredients sourced from Aussie farms,” he said.
“With more of our larger brewers now buying direct from the farm, the link between our farming sector and brewing has never been stronger.”
A farmer from the Wimmera region who supplies the beer industry, John Bennett, said great Aussie beer needs Aussie barley.
“Brewing is a vital industry for farmers,” he said.
“The connection between barley farmers and Australian brewing is stronger than ever,” he said.
The report also showed Australians drank the equivalent of just over 2.5 billion pints of domestically produced and retailed beer in 2020-21 while also embracing responsibility with mid-strength beer consumption having increased 130 per cent over the past 25 years.