The Society’s Head of Services and Advocacy Mr Donal Buggy said: “This is a very welcome development which reaffirms support for the inclusion of cancer labelling in the Bill, and positions Ireland as a global leader in public health.”
The move comes after a long and protracted campaign to get the Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas.
“It is vital now that this first piece of public health legislation on alcohol passes through the Dáil tonight,” said Mr Buggy. “The Society has championed this measure since the Bill was first published and has supported the proposal forcefully since Senator Ged Nash introduced it in the Seanad last year. We’re pleased to see leadership from both Government and opposition spokespeople. The strong cross-party support for this groundbreaking measure is heartening.”
The measure will ensure the public are informed of consumption risks through evidence-based labelling, according to the Society. The move is supported by Cancer Research, UK, the US Alcohol Policy Alliance, the European Public Health Alliance, the World Cancer Research Fund Internal and United European Gastroenterology, among others.
“Ireland is now a leader in the field, thanks to this provision and alongside the hugely important and innovative actions in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, which will help change our relationship with alcohol and pave the way for others to do so too,” underlined Mr Buggy.
