Fresh-thinking Londonderry farmers are supplying the building with trade with a radical new crop, famed for it's controversial drug association.

Around a dozen northwest farmers are producing hemp, a no drug value variety of cannabis.

They are growing the plant for totally non-intoxicating uses and aim to offer it up to building merchants, as hemp fibre can be utilised to create roof and wall insulation.

The farmers insist they are completely covered under the law, having gained official licensing rights from the department of health and the police.

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Farmer Robert Moore, who grows 300 acres of hemp on his Ballougry fields, said anyone aiming to stealing some of this produce, for it drug value, would be wasting their time.

"Before anybody starts coming up to pinch some, you could smoke it from now to Christmas and it wouldn't give you any sort of charge. There is no drug value in it all," he said.

Mr Moore also said the plant has environmentally friendly properties and has over 2,000 different uses.

One building material firm has been experimenting with some these uses, and have found a method of mixing the plant with lime to create plaster.

Limavady-based Hempire Building Materials' Marcus McCabe said: "We certainly have enough hemp to plaster 4,000 houses between now and next year."

Mr McCabe said the key to maximising the plant's potential is to get local architects and councils involved in use the sustainable material.

(PR/JM)