Ireland closer to banning alcohol sponsorship

Ireland has edged closer to banning alcohol brands’ sponsorship of sport under new legislation due to be unveiled later this month, reports claim.

The sponsorship of alcohol brands in sports may be banned in Ireland under proposed legislation

According to the Irish Times, Irish lawmakers have included a clause that would see the prohibition of alcohol sponsorships in sport as part of a new policy designed to tackle alcohol misuse.

However both the Minister for Sport, Paschal Donohoe, and Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, must ratify the terms of the legislation. Both have said alternative funding for sport must be secured before the ban is introduced.

Such measures have been criticised by both drinks and sporting companies, which claim sponsorships are undertaken responsibly and do not encourage excessive consumption.

Other terms of the bill will include: a minimum pricing policy for alcohol, calorie and health warnings on bottles, the structural separation of alcohol in shops, and some further restrictions around sponsorships and advertising.

In July last year, a Retail Intelligence survey demonstrated that more than two thirds of Irish people are not opposed to alcohol sponsorship in sport, a result that was welcomed by the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI).

“Let’s picture for a moment the hugely negative impact that a ban on sports sponsorship would actually have,” commented Kathryn D’Arcy, director of ABFI said at the time.

“As communities and business work hard to survive, we must not cut off vital funding to our sporting organisations.”

In Europe, calls for the ban of alcohol sponsorship in sport have gained pace, with lobbyists urging such action in Formula One racing.