A public health forum on alcohol abuse took place yesterday at the Irish Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels.
The drinks industry is a major driver of economic activity across Ireland at both a macro and micro level and has been identified by Government as a key growth sector.
The contribution ranges from the employment of 92,000 people, many of whom are in rural areas, to purchases in excess of €2 billion.
The industry supports 12,000 farm families, utilises 300 million litres of milk, 50,000 tonnes of apples and 200,000 tonnes of barley. Ireland’s alcohol consumption rate has fallen by 25% since its peak in 2001, according to recent figures from Revenue.
Director of Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI), Ross Mac Mathúna has called for engagement in the ongoing discussion on alcohol misuse after no industry representative was invited to sit on the yesterday’s panel.
"We fully agree that a bill is needed to tackle this problem and indeed support many of the provisions in the draft PHAB,” he said.
“However, we also have concerns about a number of proposals that are simply not evidence-based; ultimately, we fear these proposals will not achieve their goal and will only harm business. We believe that a balance could – and should – be struck between reducing harmful drinking and safeguarding jobs in our communities."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
