Social Democrats TD Sinéad Gibney has called on the government to come clean on whether it plans to defer the introduction of mandatory alcohol warning labels, which are due to come into effect in May 2026.
Deputy Gibney, who is the party’s spokesperson on enterprise, said:
“All the indications are that the government intends to backslide on this important element of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, which the Tánaiste himself introduced as Minister for Health.
“In recent weeks, several senior government figures, including the Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, have signalled that mandatory health warnings on alcohol products may need to be looked at again in the context of the US tariff threat facing Ireland.
“This is a spurious argument for many reasons. Firstly, this is a health measure, not an economic one. Secondly, mandatory labelling will only apply to alcohol products sold in Ireland, not those produced for export, so its potential impact on the drinks industry has been greatly overstated. Dangling it as a support for small businesses as something that will help them is incredibly disingenuous.
“When I raised this issue in the Dáil today, Minister of State Alan Dillon confirmed that the Department of Enterprise has written to the Department of Health on the issue of alcohol labelling, and that they were seeking ‘pragmatic sequencing’ in relation to its implementation.
“I am now calling on the Minister for Enterprise to immediately publish this letter and clarify exactly what they have requested from the Department of Health.
“This proposed measure has been seven years in the making. Backed by medical professionals and alcohol awareness campaigners, it has widespread public support. Like the smoking ban, Ireland has an opportunity to show leadership on a major public health issue.
“It is also worth pointing out that labels have already been placed on many alcohol products in anticipation of the new laws being introduced. To change course now would not only be contrary to public health policy, it would also create massive confusion – something which would be particularly bad for businesses.”
June 19, 2025