Strict regulations will be put on alcohol advertising under the new Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, which will greatly inhibit what alcohol ads can show.
According to the Irish Independent, Health Minister Leo Varadkar's bill will seek to 'de-glamorise' drinking in advertising by only allowing the product itself to be shown. In an effort to stop alcohol being perceived as 'cool', scenes showing people enjoying the drink in the pub, for example, would not be allowed. The measure is one of a series of far-reaching legislation changes proposed by the Bill.
The drink industry is expected to vehemently oppose the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill which will come before the Cabinet before the end of the year.
Minimum pricing, which is part of the Bill, is also expected to be contested. The drinks industry's hopes of the legislation being rejected on legal grounds were given a boost recently, when an opinion from the European Court of Justice’s advocate general said that the flagship policy risks infringing EU free trade rules.
As well as pricing and on-screen advertising, a ban on sports advertising, a 9pm watershed and health warnings are all proposed in the new legislation.
