Ireland has confirmed it will delay plans to mandate health warning labels on alcoholic drinks packaging until 2028.
As widely reported last week, the Irish government has pushed back its timetable for implementing the new legislation – which had been due to come into force next May.
“Following the government’s decision to defer the implementation of alcohol labelling requirements from 2026 to 2028, the Department of Health will arrange for the necessary amendments to the relevant regulations,” said a statement released by Ireland’s Deparment of Health on Thursday (24 July).
Trade body Drinks Ireland welcomed the move. “This decision provides much-needed relief for these companies, both small and large, and allows our exporters to focus their resources and efforts on market diversification and indeed, survival of their businesses,” it said.
Irish drinks manufacturers were “currently contending with major trade uncertainty, new tariffs on product entering our most important export market, the US, and threats of further tariff escalation,” said Drinks Ireland. It was vital, therefore, that the government committed to “tackling regulatory burden and reducing costs for producers”.
The implementation of the new labelling laws would have seen packaging and labelling costs go up “by some 35%”, Drinks Ireland claimed.
“Product labelling requirements should really be pursued at an EU level to maintain the integrity of the EU single market and avoid additional costs on Irish businesses versus our competitors,” it concluded.
Government officials told Politico last week the decision to delay was down to concerns over the possible impact on Irish drinks exports.
Fears over the impact on international trade were also a major factor in the UK government rowing back on plans to restrict the advertising of alcohol earlier this month.
The reprieve offered legislators a “much-needed chance to rethink” said Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, the secretary general of EU wine trade body Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins.
“Wine producers and consumers deserve rules that are balanced, evidence-based, and applied consistently across the EU,” Recarte added.
The move was not unilaterally welcomed, however. “To say that this delay is a blow for public health in Ireland is an understatement,” said Dr Sheila Gilheany, CEO of the charity Alcohol Action Ireland. “It is a failure of leadership and of democracy.
“It’s not just that Irish people are being denied their right to information regarding some of the facts about alcohol so that they can make informed decisions. It’s not just that the government is allowing its own groundbreaking legislation to be undermined by the very industry it is designed to regulate.
“This delay will have real-life consequences that will be felt by ordinary Irish people every day.”
No comments yet