“Demonising” the drinks industry must stop – DIGI Chairman tells Oireachtas Committee
The Drinks Industry Group of Ireland addressed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications today and discussed the implications of possible legislation on the banning of drink companies’ sponsorship for major sporting events.
Print24 April 2013
DIGI Chairman and Diageo’s European Corporate Relations Director Peter O’Brien emphasised that the drinks industry wants to reduce alcohol misuse in this country.
“The misuse of alcohol is not in the interests of our industry or its’ sustainable development,” he told the Committee, “It damages our members, it damages our brands and it damages the societies in which we operate.”
And he stated that the possible legislation banning sponsorship would not achieve a reduction in alcohol misuse.
“The wider evidence and data shows very clearly that there’s no link between alcohol sponsorship and misuse,” he said, “There is, in fact, research proving there is no connection between consumption and sponsorship. Recently an in-depth global survey of sponsorship activity carried out by MR Sports Marketing and Sponsorship Intelligence found no connection between sponsorship and consumption levels.”
He referenced too the situation in France where “restrictions on alcohol advertising and sponsorship [have not] worked to address alcohol misuse” and highlighted the 13% increase in wine consumption in Ireland over the past 16 years compared with a 9% decrease in the beer market over the same time period yet beer brands are one of the most active categories in the area of sports sponsorship in Ireland while wine brands do not sponsor any events, he pointed out.
He also highlighted the negative impact that possible legislative changes are likely to have on the drinks industry and the tourism sector, adding that, “A ban would be extremely damaging to a vital national industry that supports over 60,000 jobs and contributes €2 billion to the Exchequer, by effectively creating a ‘media black-out’ in this country.
“This is totally at odds with our desire to grow the Irish export economy through the food and drinks market. Under the Harvest 2020 blueprint, an ambitious target of €12bn for Irish food and drink exports by the year 2020 is set out… A ‘black market’, would mean that brands would be limited in how they could promote new brands which would impact on innovation and ultimately on investment.”
Peter O’Brien explained that the “existing co-regulatory structure which uses audience profiling and ensures that no sponsorship can take place at events which have more than 25% of their audience under the age of 18… are considered to be among the strictest in the world.”
In proposing an alternative solution to address alcohol abuse, he said, “We should be working together to target the societal issues that lead to someone abusing alcohol and seek the introduction of Swedish-style education models which deliver interventions at a young age and have a proven track record in affecting cultural change”.
He saved his final salvo for Alcohol Action Ireland when he stated that its recent ‘grooming’ accusation levelled against the drinks industry was “a slur on the 62,000 Irish men and women who work in our industry, from the rural pub owner through to the tour guides in our distilleries… In the absence of evidence to back up the measures they want, they have instead resorted to trying to demonise an industry rather than work with us on a common agenda of misuse reduction. If there’s one thing that I’m certain of it is this: the programmes and initiatives which will bring about a fundamental reduction in alcohol misuse requires all of us to work together.”
The Sports Council of Ireland and Horseracing Ireland also addressed the committee.
Peter O’Brien – Alcohol Action Ireland’s recent ‘grooming’ accusation levelled against the industry is “a slur on the 62,000 Irish men and women who work in our industry”.
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