Last orders for drinks industry’s desperate pleas
EXCHANGE of the week in Dáil chambers in Leinster House undoubtedly has to go to the war of words that exploded between Sligo Fianna Fáil TD Marc MacSharry and the Healy Rae brothers from Kerry.
The bizarre outburst not surprisingly made headlines not just in Ireland but across the water in the UK and beyond.
Which is a pity, as this incident completely drowned out another exchange in the Dáil which happened about an hour later, remarks which, if the news cycle had been different, would have justifiably attracted much coverage.
Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath accused Minister for Health Simon Harris of ‘emotional terrorism’, adding: ‘If this was a war situation, you’d be brought to The Hague with war crimes... you are a puppet and a damn good one.’
And the reason for this astonishing remark? A debate on minimum unit pricing for alcohol.
The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, commonly known as the Alcohol Bill, has been two years in the making, yet legislation has yet to pass through the Dáil.
The reason for this scandalous delay can be almost solely attributed to the cynical, desperate lobbying from the drinks industry, which has taken huge exception to provisions in the Bill that deal with labelling and advertising.
The Government wants to make it mandatory for all alcoholic beverages to have labels warning consumers of the scientifically proven links between cancer and alcohol.
The drinks industry has hit back in recent times, comparing cancer risk from alcohol to that of burnt toast. Seriously.
Only last week, the director of the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland, Patricia Callan wrote to all TDs saying these labels would put a ‘stigma’ on Irish drinks and would be ‘seriously damaging a thriving indigenous rural-based sector’.
There are four main areas to the Bill: minimum unit pricing; a segregation of alcoholic beverages from other products in all shops and supermarkets; the introduction of detailed health warning labels; and stringent restrictions on advertising.
The drinks industry has issues with all facets of the Bill, and has been fighting tooth and nail to delay its progress since its inception.
This is shameful, as when it is eventually passed, the Alcohol Bill will be one of the most important pieces of legislation this Government has presided over.