Pubs give away beer to farming as millions of pints go down the drain

As many as 70m pints are set to be poured away as beer goes off while pubs stay shut during the crisis.

Pubs have been forced to find novel ways of using up lager and ale that cannot be sold during the pandemic so it does not get wasted completely.

Britain’s 47,000 pubs have been hit hard by government restrictions that aimed to contain the spread of coronavirus, with some publicans converting their sites into shops to keep some money coming in during lockdown.

Establishments have been donating beer that cannot be sold to be used as feed to create organic fertiliser for farming, as well as to be reused as animal feed.

This week, pubs were given a glimmer of hope after Boris Johnson suggested some pubs could reopen from July 4 if it was safe to do so.

However, industry chiefs warned many pubs and the brewers that supply them with beer will struggle to survive beyond closure due to the “devastating” impact the unusable beer and loss of sales has had on their industry.

The British Beer and Pub Association said based on the average of 10 taps used to dispense beer at every pub, as many as 70m pints were likely to be destroyed - enough to fill nearly 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The disposal of vast quantities of beer is costing individual establishments thousands of pounds, with The Old Horse in Leicester claiming to have lost about £3,000 after it was forced to pour 800 pints down the drain.

Emma McClarkin, the association's chief executive, said: “It’s a great shame that so much great British beer that should have been enjoyed in community pubs up and down the country has gone to waste. People won’t have a chance to drink it as it will go off before pubs can re-open.

“The need to destroy so much beer really shows how much our brewing and pub sectors have been affected by this crisis."

The trade body has called on the Government to ramp up support for the beleaguered pub sector by removing the £51,000 rateable value cap for business grants, to ensure establishments of all sizes are given access to the support.

It has also urged for beer duty to be deferred throughout the crisis to provide additional support for brewers and wants accessibility and eligibility for loans to be extended to help ensure the survival of the industry.

Ms McClarkin added: "We believe that pubs should only open when safe to do so, but without additional support now – particularly for those who won’t be able to re-open sooner – many more of our nation’s pubs and the brewers that supply them with beer will struggle to survive closure and beyond. The Government needs to give our sector much more support.”