FOR YOUR INFORMATION
We share below a number of recent developments. As always, we rely on FIVS Members to apprise us of noteworthy matters. Please contact the FIVS Secretariat with items that may be of interest.
Australia – United Kingdom: Free trade agreement eliminates wine tariffs – On 16 December 2021, Australia and the United Kingdom signed a free trade agreement that will remove tariffs on wine in both directions of trade and ease regulations that businesses face entering the respective markets. The deal, which will now be laid in the UK Parliament for a period of scrutiny, reportedly will unlock £10.4 billion of additional trade, eliminate all tariffs on such products as Scotch whisky and Australian wines, and faciliate trade by Australian and UK companies in the area of green technologies and expertise.
Health
European Union: Interview of CEEV Secretary General on BECA report – Dr Ignacio Sánchez Recarte of the Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins expressed concern that a report by the European Parliament’s special cancer control committee (BECA) only partially considered scientific evidence regarding the consumption of alcohol and the risk of cancer, suggesting that all alcohol consumption is dangerous for health, despite scientific evidence to the contrary. The European Parliament has not yet voted on the report in plenary session, but if passed, he expressed concern that this fallacy would be used to limit all alcohol consumption, call into question support for wine sector programs, and perhaps signal “the beginning of the end of the sector as we know it.”
Australia: Research finds alcohol-related harm costs $67B per year – A new report, Examining the Social and Economic Costs of Alcohol Use in Australia: 2017/18, from Curtin University’s National Drug Research Institute (NDRI) estimated that the overall cost of alcohol use in Australia was $66.8 billion and reported 5,219 alcohol-related deaths in that year. Tangible costs were claimed to account for $18.2 billion – including the workplace (from absenteeism and injury), crime, health care (particularly through in-patient care), and road traffic crashes. Intangible costs were said to account for $48.6 billion and to include the lost quality of life from those experiencing poor health and for those with alcohol dependence.
- New Zealand: Proposal to raise smoking age year by year until it covers entire population – New Zealand reportedly has unveiled legislation, anticipated to become law next year, that would gradually raise the smoking age, year by year, until it covers its entire population. By 2050, people age 42 and older would still be able to buy tobacco products, but anyone younger would not. Critics of the policy are concerned that this legislation may lead to the growth of the black market, which currently makes up approximately 6-7 percent of tobacco sales in the country. The proposed legislation would increase funding for addiction services, limit where cigarettes could be sold, and reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes. Vaping products would apparently not be affected by the law.
Research funding
New Zealand: Research programme to protect Sauvignon Blanc receives major funding – Jeffrey Clarke, CEO of Bragato Research Institute, announced major support for an accelerated seven-year research programme to develop new variants of New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc. The program will apply the latest genome sequencing technology, after using established tissue culture techniques, to create up to 20,000 entirely new variants and screen them to identify plants that exhibit the most useful traits such as more tolerance of fungal attack, frost, high temperatures, and drought; improved yield; and more natural resistance to pests and diseases. New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries will invest $7.5 million in the programme; New Zealand Winegrowers will contribute as much as $6 million in levy funds; and the programme will receive cash and in-kind contributions of $5.2 million from more than 20 participating New Zealand wine companies. Sauvignon Blanc provides 87% of the export revenue of New Zealand’s $1.9 billion wine industry.
Government policy
European Union: EU grants right to use resistant hybrid varieties in appellation wines – Following a recent modification of EU rules, EU member states reportedly will now be allowed to employ resistant varieties in the production of wines with protected denominations of origin (PDO). Before the announcement, only vines of the vitis vinifera species could be used for PDO wines produced within the EU, while vines that presented any genetic trace of non-vinifera species were excluded. Some hybrid varieties benefit from a higher resistance to common diseases such as downy and powdery mildew. The approval of EU member states and relevant regional authorities will reportedly be required before hybrid varieties can be integrated into PDO regulations.
Omicron
Ireland: Restaurants and bars must close at 8 pm – Effective 20 December 2021, restaurants and bars in Ireland were required to close at 8 p.m., during what is usually their busiest time of the year, as cases of the Omicron variant in Ireland double every few days. The Restaurants Association of Ireland has called for the reintroduction of emergency payments to businesses that were forced to close completely in previous lockdowns, and the government reportedly is considering such measures this week. The deputy prime minister of neighboring Britain noted that 12 people had died from Omicron on 20 December 2021 and did not rule out tightening restrictions there.
Norway: Alcohol sales in bars and restaurants prohibited for at least one month – Effective 14 December 2021, Norway reportedly has banned alcohol sales in bars and restaurants for at least one month in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron variant and to lessen the burden on its health care system. Hospitality venues will be permitted to remain open, but they may only sell soft drinks.
Research
Global: Study shows change in alcohol consumption during pandemic was insignificant – A new study, published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, examined changes in alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from 128 studies conducted in 58 countries indicated that change in alcohol consumption was insignificant, with 23% of participants reporting increases and 23% reporting decreases. Multiple predictors of increased drinking included children at home, income loss, and working remotely, as well as being a young-to-middle aged adult or having mental health risk factors such as depression.
NOTE: We make no warranty of any kind regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information in these FIVS Alerts; nor do we necessarily support or agree with views expressed or contained therein.