Irish labelling law causes sour grapes for Italy's wine producers
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Italy’s largest farmers’ association has launched an extraordinary attack on Ireland’s plans for “alarmist” health warning labels on wine.
Coldiretti branded the move a “direct attack” against the country which exported a record €8bn worth of Italian-made wine last year, representing more than half of the country’s €14bn wine industry, which employs some 1.3m people.
It follows the EU’s approval of Ireland’s plans to introduce the labelling section of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act which sets out mandatory labelling requirements for all alcohol products — including wine, beer, and spirits — sold in Ireland.
The approval came despite opposition from nine countries, including France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal — all major wine producers.
Once enacted, the drinks industry in Ireland will have three years to introduce labels which will warn of the link between alcohol consumption and liver disease and fatal cancers.
Labels will also warn against consuming alcohol while pregnant, and will carry details of official public health information on alcohol consumption.
But in a statement on Thursday, Coldiretti expressed grave concerns about the labels, describing the proposals as “a dangerous precedent” that “risks opening the door to alarmist and unjustified legislation, capable of negatively influencing consumer choices”.
“The green light from the EU for alarmist wine labels in Ireland represents a dangerous precedent, as it risks opening the door to other legislation capable of negatively influencing consumer choices,” said Coldiretti president Ettore Prandini.
While Mr Prandini said it was correct for the EU to protect citizens’ health, this “cannot be translated into simplistic decisions that risk unjustly criminalising individual products regardless of the quantities consumed”.
The association also expressed concerns about surging energy, fuel and fertiliser costs, with some vineyards seeing a 170% increase in fertiliser costs, and a 129% increase in diesel costs.
It said a glass bottle costs up to 50% more than last year, while the price of corks has risen over 20%.