Ireland: New label laws threaten sale of US booze brands such as Jack Daniels in Irish stores

All alcohol products sold in Ireland will have to have a specific label, under new legislation

Source: The Irish Sun

By Craig Farrell

May 8, 2018

AMERICAN booze prices here could be set to skyrocket after a US trade agency listed Ireland’s Alcohol Bill in its trade barriers report.

And fears are growing that the likes of Jack Daniels could be pulled from shelves altogether.

The US Trade Representative dedicated a passage to Ireland’s Alcohol Bill under the subheading of health labelling in its latest Foreign Trade Barriers report issued last month.

The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 proposes health labels on all alcohol products sold here which will force booze companies to produce a specific label for their products entering the Irish market.

A section of the reports states companies could face “additional administrative costs” which could result in increased prices for US brands.

The trade barrier report reads: “On June 9, 2016, Ireland notified its proposed Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 to the WTO’s TBT [Technical Barriers to Trade] Committee.

“The proposal contains a range of provisions, including minimum unit pricing of alcohol products; health labelling of alcohol products; regulation of advertising and sponsorship; structural separation of alcohol products in mixed trading outlets; and the regulation of the sale and supply of alcohol in certain circumstances.

“These proposed measures, which diverge from EU-wide requirements, have the potential to generate additional administrative costs and detrimentally impact the ability of U.S. exporters to reallocate product in the European market.

There are fears that new laws could prove to be too costly for brands such as Jack Daniels

“Further, in late 2017 a number of amendments were made to the bill, including with respect to health labelling.”

Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland, which represents 45 alcohol producers and importers, including a number of US based companies and brands, slammed the proposed laws.

ABFI Director Patricia Callan said: “This report re-affirms that the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill will negatively impact trade, as a number of measures proposed are disproportionate.

“For example, the Alcohol Bill will require Irish-only labels, including a cancer warning label, to be included on all products sold in the Republic of Ireland, covering one-third of all printed materials.

“As a result of the additional costs and logistical problems which would be imposed as a result of a requirement to produce a separate label for Ireland, products might be withdrawn from the Irish market or new products might not be introduced.

The legislation was passed through the Seanad in December of last year but has yet to come back before the Dail.

Hospitality Ulster chief executive Colin Neill said he is “not surprised” to see the US list the labelling laws as anti-competitive.

He added: “There are roughly 14 countries in Europe who see it the same and have put in objections to the European Parliament.

“We have issued a complaint to the UK government about it.