Ireland is preparing to roll out a range of health warning labels on all alcohol products in the country - but Australia is among a number of countries trying to prevent it.
Now, Australian researchers are urging the government to stand down from its opposition, saying Ireland's decision is backed up by "international evidence".
Labelling regulations for alcohol were finalised in Ireland in May last year and will roll out from 2026 after a three-year transition period.
READ MORE: Man denies murdering his mother to claim life insurance policies
The regulations require labels to display the warnings such as "Drinking alcohol causes liver disease", and "There is a direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers", along with a warning about the dangers of drinking when pregnant.
Ireland will be the first English-speaking country (Ireland has two official languages, Irish Gaelic and English) to require health warning labels on alcohol, and the second in the world after South Korea.
But the new regulations, which researchers from the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University call in a new paper a "world-leading cancer-prevention initiative", are under scrutiny at the World Trade Organisation, where Australia is among a dozen alcohol-exporting countries opposing the rollout.
READ MORE: Experts warn of deadly drugs ahead of South Australian Schoolies
These countries, which also include New Zealand, the US, and Canada, claim the new labels would pose a damage to international trade.
Exporters to Ireland would have to pay to comply with the new regulations.
"Undeniably, Ireland's cancer and alcohol labels will represent some burden on international trade," the researchers wrote.
"A wine exporter from Australia wanting to sell wine in Ireland will be required to integrate the cancer and alcohol warning into its label or affix it to the bottles using stickers."
This can also impinge on label design and hinder the promotional aspect of a product's label and brand.
The researchers said Australian representatives had also claimed to the WTO that Ireland's new regulations were "inconsistent" with those of other European Union states, undermining the bloc's single market.
"But WTO rules do not prohibit all interferences with or burdens on international trade," the researchers wrote.
"They prohibit unnecessary interferences, and Ireland is (in) a good position to rebut the argument that its alcohol and cancer warning is an unnecessary interference."
The researchers said the World Health Organisation backed the assertions on the labels, saying that there was no safe established level for drinking alcohol.
"The arguments being made against Ireland's cancer warning labels are not defensible from a public health or legal perspective, and there is a strong rationale for governments to support the proposal," they wrote.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
from 9News https://ift.tt/MQpGzc7
via IFTTT
Comments
Post a Comment