LOCAL MP Ian Liddell-Grainger has paid tribute to a new army of producers who have been reaching outstanding levels of excellence in craft cider production.

Mr Liddell-Grainger said they were making enormous progress in restoring the damaged reputation of a drink in whose production the UK leads the world and Somerset leads the UK.

And, he said, it was clear a Government decision in 2021 to introduce a sliding duty scale which favoured smaller producers was having the desired effect.

MPs will gather in Westminster tomorrow (Wednesday, June 7) for a reception hosted by the National Association of Cider Makers to mark World Cider Day.

Mr Liddell-Grainger, who represents West Somerset and will be the Conservative candidate for the new Tiverton and Minehead constituency taking in much of the area around Wellington, said there was much to celebrate.

He said: “Those of us who spent many long months persuading the Treasury to differentiate between industrial-scale and craft cider production are all extremely encouraged by the changes that have been brought about.

“Craft cider producers are springing up everywhere, encouraged by the fact that they are not going to hit a punitive duty ceiling before they achieve viable production levels.”

Mr Liddell-Grainger said one such newcomer had even started production by going round his village collecting unwanted apples from gardens.

“These are the entrepreneurs, the innovators - many who have given up jobs to move into small-scale farming - who are not merely broadening the range of the market, not only coming out with exciting products but who are upholding the UK’s reputation as the home of the finest and highest-quality ciders in the world.

“More importantly, they are starting to give cider back some of the respectability it has lost over the years.

“For far too long the bottom shelves have been offering cut-price blends of apple juice, industrial spirit and carbonated water which can still legally be sold as ‘cider’.

“This is the ‘cider’ the defendant is referring to when explaining away his overconsumption and various related offences. This is the ‘cider’ which fuels all kinds of public disorder.

“Craft ciders are at the opposite end of the scale, consumed responsibly and enjoyed by people who appreciate the finer things in life.

“I am genuinely thrilled that we now have a new generation of inspired craft producers supplying such products to the market.”