The way alcohol is promoted and priced is facilitating irresponsible drinking and is a factor in anti-social behaviour, a drinks industry body has said.
In its submission to the Government, Alcohol Advisory Group the Beverage Council of Ireland also recommends segregation of alcohol in supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol station, with the areas "fenced off" outside legal trading hours.
The BCI also suggests restricting promotional displays of alcohol to within the alcohol sales area in stores.
It says all staff should be given training in alcohol-sales issues and that a mandatory national identification card for over-18s.
Bernard Murphy, executive director of the BCI said: "Large-scale promotion, purchase and consumption of cut-price alcohol . . . is facilitating irresponsible volume purchase and consumption of alcohol and is a contributory factor to anti-social behaviour."
Mr Murphy said promotions such as "happy hour" are outlawed in pubs and clubs but that there is no restriction on price- and volume-based promotional activity in supermarkets, convenience stores and petrol stations.
"A bottle of beer now retails for as little as €0.75 in many of these outlets - cheaper than bottled spring water," he said.
"It is ironic that the failure or inability to ban below-cost selling of alcohol, and we fully understand this in the context of 'grocery' goods, should allow competition law to effectively take precedence over the social issues associated with the abuse/misuse of alcohol."