Drinks Ireland said Irish wine drinkers face the highest excise level in the EU at €3.19 per standard bottle of wine of 13% alcohol strength. Director Cormac Healy said: "It is therefore disappointing that Irish consumers continue to pay disproportionally high levels of excise duty.

"We are calling for a 15% decrease on alcohol excise duty over the next two budgets, easing the burden on hard-pressed consumers and businesses and moving us somewhat closer to EU norms."

This pre-budget statement from Drinks Ireland is a predictable and repeated attempt to obfuscate the reality and the scientific consensus of what is playing out in the privacy of people’s homes as well as on streets in towns and cities across Ireland. The evidence shows that four people die every day from alcohol-related illness in Ireland, while hundreds of thousands of families are severely impacted by alcohol harm. 

The OECD estimates the economic impact of this harm amounts to billions of euros and 1.9% of GDP. Meanwhile, global alcohol producers make billions in profits.

Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) CEO Dr Sheila Gilheany said: "Given that alcohol places such a heavy burden on public finance and spending, it is vital that the Government uses all the policy measures at its disposal and employs a ‘polluter pays’ approach to raise the funding necessary to ameliorate the harm caused by alcohol."

Alcohol excise duties have not been increased in a decade and their value has now been eroded by inflation. As opposed to Drink Ireland’s suggestion of a 15% decrease on excise duties, AAI has called for a 15% increase to restore the value to 2014 levels.

Additionally, AAI suggests there is a need for a ring-fenced social responsibility levy similar to plans for the gambling industry. For example, a levy of 1% on sales in the on-trade and 2% on off-trade would raise about €100m in the first year of operation and could be revised annually in line with the level of harm to the State.

To put this in perspective, Ireland’s most popular beer is made by Diageo, whose global operating profits grew by 5.1% to £4.6bn (€5.3bn) last year. At the same time, in 2022, alcohol cost the State at least €3.7bn yet excise duties only raised €1.2bn.

Another huge gap that needs to be addressed is in the provision of treatment services compared with the level of need. 

Almost one in seven people (15%) in Ireland has an Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) — that is 600,000 people with 90,000 having a severe problem. AUD is a medical condition characterised by an impaired ability to stop or control alcohol use despite adverse consequences in social, occupational, and health terms.

Treatment services are grossly inadequate with only 3,265 new cases receiving treatment in 2022. The families supporting these people are also hugely underserved.

"If we do not create and fund a positive recovery programme, yet more deaths from alcohol will occur and the generational impact will be enormous," said Dr Gilheany.

Another key issue that has dominated media headlines is the underfunding of mental health services — issues that are often intertwined with problem alcohol use. 

Mental Health Reform has called for a long-term funding strategy that would see 10% of the health budget allocated to mental health by 2030, as promised in the Programme for Government. This is urgently needed.

Finally, AAI recommends that an office for alcohol harm reduction be established within the Department of Health to take the lead across government in developing the policy measures needed to address alcohol harm.

The scale of the problem around alcohol is such that it now needs a dedicated resource to drive change. Currently, alcohol issues are spread across a number of government bodies. 

This dilutes the ability to develop a robust strategic response to reducing the burden of alcohol harm in Ireland as well as giving vested interests space to exploit and stymie a coherent response.

"There is much to be learned from the Road Safety Authority and its focused approach to reducing deaths on Irish roads. "While not perfect, at least it’s clear who is taking the lead in this area. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for alcohol harm reduction," Dr Gilheany said.

Amid increased and repeated warnings about violence and lawlessness on city streets in Ireland as well as alarming increases in road deaths in 2023 and ongoing high levels of alcohol harm in Ireland, unbelievably, the Government plans to increase opportunities for alcohol use with the passing of the Sale of Alcohol Bill next year.

There are several aspects of the bill that are likely to lead to increased alcohol use and consequent increased harm. 

These include the extension of licensing of all bars and restaurants from 11.30pm to 12.30am; the facilitation of late-night opening of bars to 2.30am; and the revoking of the requirement to extinguish a licence before opening a new premises, leading to the increased number and density of outlets.

In a report published in May, international expert Tom Babor warned that Ireland’s Sale of Alcohol Bill will increase risks of alcohol-related disease, injuries, crime, public disorder, and domestic violence.

"When alcohol consumption becomes the central organising feature, as reflected in the proposed Sale of Alcohol Bill, the social and recreational benefits can come at an enormous cost," Prof. Babor said.

"Many cities in the UK, the EU, and Australia have experienced epidemics of public intoxication following policy changes that were intended, just like the Sale of Alcohol Bill, to attract adults and youth to social and cultural events but succeeded in attracting youth out for a night of heavy drinking." 

Let’s not delude ourselves any longer. The alcohol industry has had its own way for too long and alcohol-related harm is a huge problem in Ireland that must be addressed. 

This includes the development of a polluter pays model for alcohol taxation, the establishment of an office for alcohol harm reduction, and increased funding for services for all impacted by alcohol harm.

This campaign by Drinks Ireland to align excise duties in line with EU norms denies the level of harm caused by alcohol in the Irish context. 

This is an attempt by an industrial lobbyist to provide tax breaks which will lower the cost of alcohol and increase consumption along with sales and profits for the industry.

• Dr Catherine Conlon is a public health doctor in Cork and former director of human health and nutrition, safefood