Limiting drink advertising threatens a key enterprise

The Irish drinks industry is a hugely important part of the Irish economy: exporting high-quality branded products worth over €1.26bn per annum; employing over 62,000 people countrywide; providing over €2bn in value add to the Irish economy; while consumers of Irish alcohol products contribute over €1.8bn through taxation to the Irish exchequer.

Further back up the supply chain, our industry offers significant support to the primary sector, purchasing quality raw materials for the premium brands for which Ireland is famous.

In 2012 alone, €400m was spent by the Irish drinks industry on raw materials. Our industry purchased over 207,000 tonnes of malted barley from Irish farmers for use in beer and whiskey production; 300m litres of milk for use in cream liqueurs; 46,000 tonnes of apples for use in cider making. In total, it is estimated that over 5,000 farming families nationwide are supported by our industry through our purchase of raw materials.