Sir, – Italy has added its voice to those countries trying to block our Government's plans to ban branding on tobacco packaging ("Italy joins EU states objecting to Irish plan for plain cigarette packs", September 19th). As Europe's leading tobacco producing country and one of the top 10 tobacco growers worldwide, Italy's motivation in opposing Ireland's plans to reduce tobacco consumption is apparent. Indeed, it comes as no shock that eight out of nine countries attempting to prevent Ireland implementing the most important piece of tobacco control legislation since the 2004 workplace ban are tobacco producers. The ninth country, the Czech Republic, has one of the poorest tobacco control records in Europe.
While these states lodge objections with the European Commission, the real opposition is coming from the tobacco industry. This legislation is about health not tobacco profits, and a reduction in the 5,200 Irish deaths caused each year by the tobacco industry is what is at stake. – Yours, etc,
NIAMH KELLY,
Asthma Society
of Ireland,
Amiens Street, Dublin 1.