Local drinks industries could be hit by new Bill
CONCERNS that the proposed new legislation on the pricing, advertising and display of alcohol could hit the indigenous drinks’ industry were voiced by local TDs Peter Fitzpatrick and Declan Breathnach in the Dail last week.
Fianna Fail’s Deputy Breathnach said that while he welcomed any measures to tackle alcohol abuse, and discourage the scourge of underage drinking, he feared ‘it will send thousands of people across the Border to purchase alcohol more cheaply.’
He urged taking a collaborative approach with the Northern Ireland authorities regarding the introduction of a minimum price,
Having a mandatory cancer warning on alcohol products was ‘ going too far’ and would have a huge impact on the smaller producers, distilleries and craft brewers of Ireland, he warned.
He cited the Cooley Distillery as ‘a very successful distilling operation that directly employs more than 70 people and indirectly employs many more across the county.’
‘ The impact on the Cooley Distillery and similar enterprises is that there will be a perception that Scotch or American whiskey is less harmful to a person than Irish whiskey and our exports will, therefore, be affected if the cancer labelling measure is not restricted,’ he warned.
He pointed out that the Louth East Meath Constituency had the Teeling Whiskey Company operating out of the old Harp brewery in Dundalk, the Carlingford Brewing Company, the Listoke Distillery and Gin School, Jack Cody’s Brewery and the Dundalk Bay Brewing Company.
‘All of these small breweries and distilleries bring great benefits to the com- munity, not just in the context of the sale and export of alcohol but also in terms of visitors who like to understand how the product is made. With the labelling restrictions being proposed here and with the severe restrictions on advertising, I believe that these businesses will be disproportionately impacted upon. Some of them may not survive.
Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick of Fine Gael agreed that the overall objective of the Bill is to contribute to the reduction of the harmful use of alcohol in our country.
He too was concerned about the proposed labelling of alcohol products and said that while he supported the idea of providing consumers with accurate information so that they can make fully informed decisions when purchasing alcohol products, he felt ‘ the health risks and benefits associated with drinking are too complex and detailed to be communicated on a label.’
He was worried that labels warning of the risk between alcohol and cancer would damage sales of Irish produce abroad.
‘We must not apply a stigma to products produced in Ireland and give a clear advantage to our competition abroad, which is not required to carry such labels, such as producers of Scotch whisky or American whiskey. We cannot tell our export market that those products are better than Irish whiskey or else Irish whiskey will not exist.’
He pointed to the importance of the Cooley Distillery to the local economy and said he had been told by the manager of the distillery that future investments in the facility could be in jeopardy if the perception that Ireland is a negative market in which to operate develops. ‘ This in turn could impact on jobs and investment in the local economy.’
Deputy Fizpatrick added: ‘I am a pioneer. I have never drunk alcohol in my life. I am not anti-drinking. I believe in drinking less and drinking better.’