Alcohol labelling

Updated 23/07/2025

Background to alcohol labelling

  • October 2018: Public Health (Alcohol) Act passes with cross-party support. Alcohol labelling is dealt with in Section 12 of the Act.
  • June 2022: The Department of Health published its draft labelling regulations for alcohol.
  • January 2023: Scrutiny of labelling passes its final stage when the European Commission does not raise any objections to the regulations, clearing the way for Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to sign the provisions into law. 
  • May 2023: Section 12 is signed into law. Due to come into force in May 2026.

What's on the label?

Alcohol labels tell people that alcohol causes liver disease and cancer. They also have a pregnancy warning graphic, while giving basic nutritional information and the details of the HSE website www.askaboutalcohol.ie.

Timeline: Labelling delayed

  • 4 February, 2025 – Ibec/Drinks Ireland write to Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment, seeking to meet regarding some questions they have regarding labelling.
  • 11 February – Ibec/Food Drink Ireland write to Peter Burke on labelling, saying it should not undermine a harmonised approach and create cost and disruption to free movement of goods.
  • 6 March – Ibec/Drinks Ireland write to the Jennifer Caroll MacNeill, Minister for Health, seeking changes to labelling in terms of layout and size.
  • 2 April – Ibec/Drinks Ireland write to the Department of Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment in relation to challenges being experienced by drinks manufacturers and distributors in trying to prepare for the introduction of new alcohol labels in Ireland.
  • 6 April – Pascal Donohoe, Minister for Finance, says on RTÉ’s ‘This Week’ that health warning labels would have to be “carefully examined again” by government.
  • 8 April – Peter Burke tells Newstalk Breakfast that health warnings on Irish drinks labels could be removed in an effort to increase trade.
  • 8 April – Barry Heneghan TD (Ind) asks the Minister for Health via PQ if labelling will go ahead as planned – the Minister reaffirms labelling will go ahead in 2026. The Minister reiterates a commitment to the May 2026 timeline 23 times via PQs between 8 April and 16 July.
  • 11 April – Drinks Ireland meets with the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD, and seek a delay to the introduction of labelling.
  • 14 April – National Off-Licence Association (NOffLA) write to Peter Burke urging that he advocate within Government for a reconsideration of the proposed alcohol labelling regulations.
  • 1 May – Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Harris TD, says in the Dáil that government need to “consider the timeline for implementation” of labelling.
  • 12 May – Officials in the Department of Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment (DETE) Enterprise Ireland Liaison Unit write to the Tabaco and Alcohol Control Unit seeking an update on the current position regarding labelling “in light of recent media reports on the introduction of mandatory alcohol warning labels.”.
  • 15 May –Peter Burke writes to Jennifer Caroll MacNeill seeking the pausing of labelling.
  • 20 May – John Clendennen, Fine Gael TD and former head of the VFI, calls alcohol health labelling a threat to trade in the Dáil.
  • 29 May – Alcohol Action Ireland and Royal College of Physicians in Ireland met with Minister for Health in relation to alcohol health information labelling.
  • 3 June – Ibec CEO, Danny McCoy, writes to the Taoiseach seeking a deferral of labelling.
  • 17 June – Ibec/Retail Ireland request update on deferral of labelling from Minister for State at the DETE, Alan Dillon.
  • 19 June – In the Dáil Sinead Gibney TD, Social Democrats, calls on government to clarify their position on labelling and commit to labelling going ahead in 2026. Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment, Alan Dillon TD, indicates that it is the Department’s view that labelling should be delayed and that Minister Burke has written to Minister Caroll MacNeill on this.
  • 19 June –Simon Harris calls for labelling to be delayed in the Dáil.
  • 20 June – Ibec/Retail Ireland write to Peter Burke requesting an urgent and extended four-year deferral of alcohol labelling.
  • 8 July – Padraig Rice, Social Democrats TD, asks the Taoiseach for his views on labelling and if he will commit to their introduction in May 2026. Micheál Martin refuses to answer the question.
  • 16 July – Sinead Gibney TD (SD) asks the Minister for Health via PQ if labelling will proceed as planned. For the 23rd time since 8 April the Minister states “The law will come into operation on 22 May 2026”. Six days later labelling will be postponed until 2028.
  • 22 July – Simon Harris brings a memo to Cabinet to delay labelling until 2028 – government agree to deferral.

Industry misinformation

Supporters of a delay centred their arguments around alcohol industry playbook inspired misinformation, namely:

Public health response

  • National and international advocates and organisations wrote to government figures opposing any delay, read more here.
  • Almost 80 concerned clinicians, representatives of healthcare organisations and public health advocates signed an open letter to the Taoiseach and Minister for Health, read more here.
  • A coalition of representatives from public health, medicine and business briefed TDs and Senators at Leinster House, read more here.
  • Alcohol Action Ireland ran a Take Action campaign allowing the public to email their local TDs, read more here.

Alcohol Action Ireland published a series of blogs and guest blogs that fact checked some of the industry’s misinformation around labelling:

  • Guest blog by Dr Breeda Neville, Expert Analysis: Alcohol and cancer, read here
  • A symbol of truth – why alcohol industry is hellbent on keeping people in the dark over risk of FASD, read here.

  • Power, influence and misinformation – alcohol industry opposition to public health measures, read here.

  • Alcohol industry using every dirty trick in the playbook to muddy the waters around labelling, read here

  • Guest blog by Emil Juslin, Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan: How Big Alcohol lobbying diluted a historic public health breakthrough, read here

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