Exclusive Tony Brown Customs & Excise officials could be about to bow to pressures to scrap the date marked scheme for cigarette packaging. Industry insiders have told The Grocer intense behind the scenes pressure is forcing a change of mind at high levels of government. The speed and unity of response from bodies such as the Federation of Wholesale Distributors and the Association of Convenience Stores is believed to have surprised Customs officials. The industry associations are set for further meetings with officials to put their case. They have already submitted formal reports. The date marked pack scheme was announced before Christmas. It was intended to come into force on April 1 2002 as a means of identifying cigarettes that had been smuggled from abroad. However, industry groups slammed it as unworkable, saying it would add to cost pressures on wholesalers and manufacturers. The FWD claimed the scheme could add up to 15p to the cost of a packet of cigarettes and would increase smuggling, rather than deter it. An ACS spokesman said: "Customs officials have been talking to us about costs and whether alternatives will work. "I think they have been surprised by the strength of our submissions and research." The proposals are due to be announced formally in the Chancellor's Budget in mid March. A Customs & Excise spokeswoman said: "We have entered into an in depth consultation period with trade members. "We are analysing the feedback from those discussions, but we will not be making an announcement on our decision until the Budget." {{NEWS }}