“I understand that everybody in this room understands that it is a scientific fact that there is a link between alcohol and cancer, but we’ve had to fight to say that that is true.”
Ireland’s submission notifying the committee explained that the law was necessary due to “high volumes and harmful patterns of alcohol consumption” that meant alcohol caused an estimated 4.8 per cent of all Ireland’s deaths. So far the United States, the Dominican Republic and Cuba have declared they will make “comments” about the law, and several more countries are believed to have seconded their concerns.
The study, published in medical journal the Lancet, reviewed committee documents going back to 1995. It found that 10 countries that tried to put in place stricter alcohol labels were met with opposition from WTO members in the form of arguments used by the alcohol industry, including that moderate drinking is not a problem or is even beneficial to health.
The commission also views the measure as being in line with its Beating Cancer Plan, a policy championed by president Ursula von der Leyen that includes an aim to reduce harmful alcohol use by 10 per cent by 2025.