Law would ‘force rural pubs to shut’

RURAL pubs will be forced to close if a proposed reduction in the drink-driving limit comes into force, the VFI has warned.

Minister for Transport Seamus Brennan is expected to meet shortly with Justice Minister Michael McDowell to discuss reducing the blood alcohol limit to 50 milligrams, which is less than a pint.

Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) president Joe Browne said his organisation would strongly oppose such a move on the grounds that it would sound the death knell for many rural pubs.

Mr Browne, who runs a pub in Gorey, Co Wexford, claimed the Government was trying to turn Ireland into a nanny state.

“Drink is not the cause of the high road accident rate, it’s speed and young drivers,” Mr Browne said.

He said a man who had two pints on his way home from a hard day’s work would no longer be able to enjoy that pleasure if he lived in the heart of the country where public transport wasn’t readily available.

“I’m not advocating that people should drink and drive but there will have to be some compromise,” Mr Browne said.

The VFI, which represents 6,000 publicans outside of Dublin, said it would mount a major campaign against the proposed reduction in the limit from it present level of 80mgs of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.

“The majority of my members have pubs in villages or at crossroads. It will kill those type of pubs,” the VFI president said.

Ireland, Britain, Italy and Luxembourg have the same limits, but the other 11 members of the EU have limits of 50mgs or less, while in Sweden the level is just 20mgs.

Former VFI president John Mansworth, who runs a bar in Cobh, Co Cork claimed the Government was taking an anti-pub stance at present, with the proposed reduction in the drink-driving limit coming on top of the smoking ban which is set to be introduced on January 1 next.

“The existing laws are more than adequate,” Mr Mansworth said.