Decision to defer alcohol labelling in coming days as tariff deadline looms
However, there has been some pushback to the plan, with one Government source suggesting that the move had very little to do with trade in the first place.
The Government Trade Forum met on Wednesday at Government Buildings to discuss the tariffs situation a week out from US President Donald Trump's 90-day pause coming to an end.
In May 2023, Stephen Donnelly, the former health minister, signed the Public Health (Alcohol) (Labelling) Regulations 2023.
It was envisaged that the law would ensure that the labels of alcohol products would state the calorie content and grams of alcohol in the product.
They would warn about the risk of consuming alcohol when pregnant and about the risk of liver disease and fatal cancers from alcohol consumption.
It was due to come into effect in May 2026 following a three-year lead-in time. However, there have been rumblings in recent weeks that the plans would be shelved.
Speaking at Government Buildings on Wednesday, the Tánaiste confirmed a decision to defer them will be made in the coming days.
He said: 'This issue came up quite a lot at the trade forum as well.
'I'm very proud of the progress we've made as a country on public health and very proud of the Public Health Act. I would have played a part in the passage of that legislation when I was Minister for Health.
'I think there's a legitimate issue in relation to the timing, in relation to changing the labels on alcohol bottles.
'What we don't want to do for a sector that's already quite challenged and already experiencing significant disruption as a result of the trade environment, is impose, at this time, a further trade barrier or a potential trade barrier.
'I'm very much of the view that we need to defer the implementation. It will be a matter for the Minister for Health [Jennifer Carroll MacNeill] and we'll work closely together on this to decide a timeline in relation to that, but I expect we'll be able to bring clarity to this in the coming days.'
However, there has been some pushback in Government over the decision to defer the labelling, with one senior source calling it 'bullsh*t'.
They argued that the only products that need to be labelled are those sold on the Irish market and that labelling has 'nothing to do with trade'.
Elsewhere, the Tánaiste stated that a week away from the tariff deadline, '10 per cent seems to be the baseline' and that the EU will be seeking to 'maximise the number of sectors where there is zero for zero'.
He said: 'You can only judge President Trump on what he's done and in the only agreements that President Trump has reached so far, tariffs have been embedded.
'In fact, at the moment, the choice isn't between 10 per cent and zero. Remember, this day next week (Wednesday), 10 per cent is due to rise to 50 per cent if there isn't either an extension or an agreement.
'The European Union and Ireland want zero tariffs. We don't believe in tariffs. We believe they're not a good idea.
'But we also have to, obviously, negotiate a way forward here.'
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