Ireland is set to delay plans to introduce labels with health warnings and calorie information on alcoholic drinks, according to reports.
Ireland was set to become the first country to mandate cancer warning labels on booze, having passed legislation in 2023 compelling suppliers to include the warnings on packaging from next May.
The law, once enforced, will dictate that alcohol sold in Ireland must carry the warning that “there is a direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers”, as well as that alcohol can cause liver disease and affect foetuses.
However, it is now set to be pushed back by several years, according to reports by The Irish Times and Politico.
According to The Irish Times, implementation of the law is set to be pushed back to 2029.
Unnamed sources told the title the Irish government was still committed to a policy which was “public health-led” but would now seek to bring in health warnings in line with the rest of Europe.
Ireland’s minister for enterprise Peter Burke was reported as saying regulation needed to be “proportionate” and must recognise Ireland’s drinks industry was on a “downward trajectory” and needed protecting.
Several Irish distillers, including the maker of Jameson whiskey, have cut back on production amid slowing demand in recent times. Introduction mandatory health labelling would pile further pressure on these businesses, Burke said.
Senior government officials, meanwhile, told Politico the decision was being taken because of fears the warnings could impact exports of Irish alcoholic drinks, namely whiskey, to the US.
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.
Last month, medical professionals and anti-booze campaigners called for warnings that alcohol causes cancer to be introduced in the UK.
The Grocer has approached Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment and its Department for Health for comment.
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