Politics

Biden official claims Ireland changed alcohol labelling rules after US pressure

Irish health officials say nothing changed due to US lobbying despite claim in trade representative’s report

The Department of Health has denied claims it changed new alcohol labelling restrictions in the face of pressure from the US. Photograph: iStock

Arthur Beesley
Wed Apr 3 2024 - 06:00

A member of president Joe Biden’s cabinet claimed in a new report that Ireland changed new alcohol labelling restrictions in the face of pressure from the US.

The claims were immediately dismissed by the Department of Health, which said the disputed measures were part of the Government’s original plan.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly signed legal restrictions last May to compel alcohol manufacturers to label beer, wine and spirits with health warnings on the risk of liver disease and fatal cancers and risks from drinking alcohol while pregnant.

At the time the Government described the regime as the world’s “first comprehensive health labelling of alcohol products”, saying the drink makers would be required to set out the calorie content and grams of alcohol in their products.

READ MORE

The measures won’t come into force until 2026, to give business time to adapt.

But the US has said objections from Washington at a key committee of the World Trade Organisation led Ireland to change how the measures will be applied, saying the transition period was prolonged and allowances given to apply health warnings on stickers.

The US said the concerns were raised at the technical barriers to trade (TBT) committee of the WTO. The committee is a panel for governments to discuss specific concerns about regulations or trade, often about measures still in the pipeline for implementation later.

The contested claims were set out in a report from US trade representative Katherine Tai, a senior member of the Biden administration who is the main trade adviser and negotiator for the US president.

Referring to Mr Donnelly’s regulations, the US 2024 national trade estimate report on foreign trade barriers said the measures set “unique health labelling requirements” for drink.

“While supportive of the goals of the regulation, in June and November 2023, the United States raised procedural concerns about the regulation in the WTO TBT committee,” the report said.

“Ireland responded extending the transition period and by permitting importers to affix stickers with the required information to imported products.”

Asked about the US report, the Department of Health said the Irish labelling law was submitted for EU assessment in June 2022 and the WTO in February 2023.

“The law was signed by the Minister for Health in May 2023 and will come into operation in May 2026,” the Department said.

“The provisions in relation to the transition period and the option of affixing stickers with the required information were in the original draft of the legislation when submitted for EU assessment, and were not introduced during the WTO process or in response to concerns raised by a WTO member.”

Ireland has clashed in the past with US politicians over health measures. Four US congressmen and the then governor of Virginia lobbied Enda Kenny’s government against plain tobacco packaging in 2013, four years before the restrictions took effect.

Arthur Beesley

Arthur Beesley

Arthur Beesley is Current Affairs Editor of The Irish Times

LATEST STORIES