Alcohol Action Ireland press release, Wednesday 14 May 2025
A coalition of representatives from public health, medicine and business will brief TDs and Senators at Leinster House tomorrow (Thursday) over the ongoing debate around possible government backtracking on alcohol health information labelling regulations, due to come into force in May 2026.
Chaired by Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) CEO Dr Sheila Gilheany and including panel members Amy Rose Harte (Irish Cancer Society), Dr Norah Campbell (Trinity School of Business), Prof Diarmuid O’Shea (Royal College of Physicians in Ireland) and Prof Frank Murray (Consultant Hepatologist and AAI chairperson), the briefing will cut through the industry disinformation that has been swirling around government recently and will give politicians the facts about labelling.
Dr Gilheany said: “Some of our senior politicians seem to be living in the disinformation space created by the alcohol industry around labelling. Through industry’s intense lobbying efforts and the ease of access industry has to those in power, we are now in a place where senior government figures are standing up in the Dáil and with a straight face linking global trading concerns brought on by US tariffs to the Irish health issue of labelling, which have no bearing on each other whatsoever. While tariffs may have changed the trading environment, the one constant is the alcohol industry’s long-running and fierce opposition to these regulations, which were subject to more than 1,000 days of debate in the Oireachtas and were opposed at every turn by industry.
“This briefing is about giving politicians the facts. Many politicians are only too happy to meet with industry representatives but would baulk at meeting those representing public health, and one wonders where they get their information, or disinformation, from. It’s hard to get the proper picture when you’re only listening to one side.”
Some of the facts around labelling that will be outlined include:
- Labelling was democratically voted through the Dáil and Seanad with the passing of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 which had overwhelming support across party lines.
- Labelling of alcohol products is a health issue and has nothing to do with Ireland’s exports as the regulations only apply to products sold in Ireland, while in relation to imports, or home-produced products, the legal onus is on retailers, not producers/manufacturers, to ensure products are labelled. Therefore, a supermarket, or off-licence, can simply add a sticker to the product.
- At EU level, Ireland’s labelling regulations were subject to the European Commission Technical Regulations Information System (TRIS) process. The Commission decided that labelling does not constitute a barrier to trade and that Ireland’s regulations were proportionate to the scale of the alcohol issues in this country.
- Alcohol industry calls to wait for a harmonised EU label are disingenuous as the industry has resisted all attempts to introduce a label for even basic nutritional information which is standard on all other food and drink products in the EU except alcohol.
- Ireland’s labelling regulations were subject to the World Trade Organisation notification processes, and there has been no derailing or delaying of labelling by the WTO. In fact, Ireland’s regulations have been defended by the EU Commission and the World Health Organisation at WTO discussions.
Dr Gilheany continued: “The reality is that labels are already here both in law and on the shelves, as they have started to appear on some alcohol products ahead of their mandatory introduction next year. Businesses in countries as diverse as Australia, Italy, New Zealand and Spain are now labelling their products in the entirely reasonable expectation that Ireland is implementing its stated law. They’re here and the world hasn’t caved in like some would have us believe. Why then are some people in government talking about hiding the facts from the public, which is what delaying these regulations would mean? Let’s not forget, people have a right to know the risks associated with alcohol consumption and to make informed decisions.
“The Programme for Government committed to tackle harmful alcohol consumption through effective regulations. Why then are some elements in government undermining this commitment, which makes the government look confused about its own policy, as if the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing? Surely Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, will not be allowing a health harming industry to undermine her own department’s clear policy in this area?
“This confusion frankly must be embarrassing for Micheál Martin considering his high standing internationally for his leadership around smoking regulations. The eyes of the world are on Ireland once again and there is little doubt that, just like with the smoking ban, other countries will follow suit on health information labelling. Any move to backtrack now would be a betrayal of Ireland’s health and democratic processes.”
ENDS
