A dozen TDs fight cancer warnings on alcohol

TDs from across the political divide are seeking to remove a requirement under planned legislation to have cancer warnings on alcohol products.

The 12 is made up of four TDs from Fine Gael, four from Fianna Fáil, and four Independents. They want to delete the cancer warning from the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, a move that has been welcomed by the drinks industry.

The amendments are being sought by Peter Burke, Tony McLoughlin, Pat Deering, and Peter Fitzpatrick of Fine Gael, Bobby Aylward, Kevin O’Keeffe, Eamon Scanlon, and Declan Breathnach of Fianna Fáil, and Independents Noel Grealish, Michael Fitzmaurice, Carol Nolan, and Michael Collins.

The bill proposes to include three separate warnings: The danger of alcohol consumption; the danger of drinking while pregnant, and the “direct link” between alcohol and fatal cancers.

The director of the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland, Patricia Callan, said a general health warning against excessive alcohol consumption made more sense.

Ms Callan described the relationship between alcohol and health as complex.

Focusing on one health issue alone (cancer) does not give a full or accurate picture to help consumers make an informed choice about their drinking,” she told RTÉ.

However, the Irish Cancer Society has urged Health Minister Simon Harris not to give in to the alcohol industry’s vested interests.

Mr Harris yesterday tweeted that a “clear link” existed between cancer and alcohol.

“Only question is best way to highlight this — regulations or primary legislation. Looking forward to teasing this through,” he wrote.

Independent Senator Frances Black said cancer warnings on alcoholic drinks were absolutely vital.

There is no doubt in my mind that people in Ireland needed to know that alcohol causes cancer. It is as simple as that,” she said.

She said she was shocked at the amount of lobbying that was going on to block the proposed cancer warning.

The bill was approved by the Government in December 2015 but has been dogged by intense lobbying and rows over its provision.

Ms Black, together with Labour senator Ged Nash, succeeded in getting the provision to have cancer warnings on alcohol products accepted in a Seanad vote.

One of the country’s top liver specialists, Frank Murray, said there were 900 cancers directly attributable to alcohol in Ireland.

His concern was that most people who drank alcohol were unaware of the cancer link.

Prof Murray, a consultant in hepatology and gastroenterology, is also chairman of Alcohol Health Alliance Ireland.

There is a compelling argument for having warning labels in relation to cancer on alcohol-containing products,” he said.

He rejected the argument from the drinks industry that warnings would damage their business.

“This is complete nonsense because we are talking about labelling products in Ireland — not labelling Irish products around the world,” said Prof Murray.