The alcohol health labelling debate

In May, Ireland became the first country to introduce comprehensive health labelling on all alcohol products in the EU and the second country worldwide (after South Korea) to introduce cancer warnings on alcohol products.

The mandatory health labelling of alcohol products were signed into law by Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly and will apply from 22 May, 2026, in order to give businesses three years to adapt to the new requirements.

Prior to the law being passed concerns were expressed across Europe and especially by countries including Italy, whose foreign minister and deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani said in January that the plans were an “attack” on his country’s identity.

Coldiretti, Italy’s biggest farmers’ association, described the then proposed laws as a “direct attack” against their country. Coldiretti noted that Italy was a key exporter of wine, with more than half of the industry’s € 14bn of annual revenues coming from abroad.

“The green light from the European Union for alarmist wine labels in Ireland represents a dangerous precedent as it risks opening the door to other legislation capable of negatively influencing consumer choices,” the association said in a statement. “It is completely improper to equate the excessive consumption of spirits, typical of the Nordic countries, to the moderate and conscious consumption of quality products with lower alcohol content, such as beer and wine,” it said.

Solo run

Back home, Drinks Ireland said the government must explain why it is doing a solo run on alcohol labels, when the EU is already planning a harmonised approach to health labels and international processes have not concluded.

An EU process last year saw Ireland’s alcohol labels meet significant opposition from 13 EU member states, including France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, principally on the grounds that it is trade distorting within the EU Single Market and undermines a planned harmonised EU approach on health warning labels on alcohol. Drinks Ireland said that this opposition from Ireland’s trading partners needs to be recognised and if not it will hurt the reputation of the country’s drinks products in the home market.

Drinks Ireland also said that the legislation will have a significant negative impact on Irish producers not only reputationally but logistically and in terms of massive additional costs, in particular small breweries and distilleries, at a time when there are already massive external pressure from inflation and other issues

According to Cormac Healy, director of Drinks Ireland, “Unfortunately this is an example of zealotry rather than evidence-based legislation. We would call on government to urgently address these significant international concerns from the EU and beyond and explain why Ireland is going alone on alcohol labels at a time when harmonised labels are being planned across the EU. The government have been staunch defenders of the harmonised EU market, but is now clearly causing unnecessary tensions with important trading partners. We do not need two labelling systems. The logic remains that Ireland works with the EU on its plans for a harmonised approach.”

Last month, a number of Brussels based European organisations representing the spirits, beer and wines sectors lodged formal complaints asking the European Commission to open an infringement procedure against Ireland for breaching EU law. They call out the Irish proposals as a disproportionate trade barrier, undermining the Single Market and that other less trade disruptive approaches can and should be taken. Again this process is not complete.

WHO meeting

Meanwhile Ireland’s plans for alcohol labelling were discussed at a World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting last month. It was on the agenda of the Technical Barriers to Trade Committee, a forum for the organisation’s 164 members to discuss and mediate potential disputes over regulations.

The United States, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic raised concerns that Ireland’s new alcohol labelling requirements could present a barrier to trade. Objections at the meeting centred on requirements for exporters to produce labels specific to Ireland from 2026, which the critics argued would create new costs and a ect the ability of businesses to move product within the European market.

Speaking on behalf of Ireland, a representative for the European Union denied that businesses would be required to produce custom labels, saying stickers could be placed on the products after they were imported into Ireland.

Tr De O Osition

Françoise Gilley, who runs the Terroirs wine shop in Donnybrook, Dublin with her husband Sean, is originally from the Loire valley in France. She is staunchly opposed to the new labelling laws.

She told the Irish Times, “There is nothing wrong with wine. It comes from the earth, the vines are deeprooted, and if you have a good wine, it is full of minerals, full of goodness. It is healthy, [if consumed] in moderation of course.”

The Donnybrook shop sources wine from almost 200 producers for whom putting health warning labels on the back of their bottles just for the Irish market, will create extra work and logistical challenges.

According to her husband Sean: “My feeling is that I have no problem with having warning signs at the back but it has to be done in a discreet way, not to take the enjoyment out of it and destroying a beautiful label that these vineyards have put time and e ort into producing, [by] having a disastrous label at the back saying wine causes cancer. It has to be done in an appropriate way.”

Su ort ro uro re

Despite the widespread opposition, Eurocare, an alliance of 51 organisations that aim to reduce and prevent alcohol-related harm in Europe, praised the government’s plans in a letter to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly. It likened the initiative to the workplace smoking ban brought in by Ireland almost 20 years ago.

The alliance predicted it would lead to other countries bringing in similar policies, saying “we know from the experience of our colleagues in tobacco control that where Ireland leads, the rest of Europe and the world will soon follow”.

The letter is signed by Eurocare president Dr Peter Rice, secretary general Florence Berteletti, and board member Dr Sheila Gilheany, chief executive of Alcohol Action Ireland.

They praised Varadkar, Martin and Donnelly for their “leadership and courage on public health matters”. They wrote: “Getting legislation on to the statute books is di cult. Implementing world leading provisions in the face of fierce opposition from the alcohol industry is a di erent challenge again.”

The letter describes the Irish initiative as a game-changer in public health policy, adding “you have the support of the entire public health community in Europe and in the world”.

While the idea of having warning labels on alcohol does not appeal to many in the industry, it seems like the legislation is going ahead and it will have to be accepted. We will have to wait to see if it creates any long term issues for the Irish market or if we become leaders in the field of alcohol labelling and spearhead a worldwide campaign. n