Madam, – Rolande Anderson of the Irish College of General Practitioners (December 1st) – a self-confessed consistent critic of the drinks industry – accuses the industry of being “self-serving” regarding our responsible drinking campaigns and our commitment to work with Government and other stakeholders in addressing alcohol misuse.
Well, I agree with Mr Anderson that our long-term interests are best served by tackling alcohol abuse – a phenomenon that is not in the best interests of anyone working in the industry.
The long-term sustainability of our industry is much more important to us than short-term profit.
Moreover, while criticisms of the drinks industry for not playing its part in addressing alcohol misuse may have been valid five years ago, the same cannot be said today. In fact the greatest investment and effort to change attitudes to alcohol in Ireland is funded by the drinks industry.
In recent years we have made immense efforts to work in partnership with government and various agencies to look at the causes of alcohol misuse and promote responsible drinking. In this time we have worked to introduce and constantly update codes of practice on alcohol advertising to ensure our marketing is targeted and appropriate – the rules in Ireland are among the most stringent in the world.
We have more recently been subject to legislation limiting the sale of alcohol in shops and supermarkets and restricting the opening hours of off-licences, nightclubs and pubs.
The industry also agreed measures with government to introduce pregnancy advice and unit information on labels in Ireland – we await publication of draft legislation on this point.
This has occurred at a time when consumption levels of alcohol are falling (down 9 per cent overall in the year to date) and with lower levels of trade leading to more and more pub closures across urban and rural Ireland.
We in DIGI recognise that there needs to be an intense focus on educating young people by all parties in schools and colleges, on TV and online, by the health agencies, by government and NGOs about the negative effects of alcohol misuse and its subsequent dangers.
Therefore, to dismiss the efforts we have made in this area in recent years as “cynical” – as Mr Anderson and other members of the public health lobby repeatedly claim – entirely undermines the partnership approach that is required to confront, address, and find solutions to alcohol misuse in this country.
Rather than engage is brick-batting with our critics, we will continue our efforts to play a positive role in combating alcohol misuse. We invite your readers to visit drinkaware.ie and make up their own minds. – Yours, etc,