(ANSA) – ROME, JANUARY 12 – Overseas Minister Antonio Tajani stated Thursday that Eire’s plan to introduce well being warnings on wine, beer and spirits akin to these on cigarettes was “absurd” , echoing the protests of Italian wine producers.
“Eire’s resolution to introduce a (well being warning) label on all alcoholic drinks, together with Italian wine, is absurd,” the minister tweeted.
Tajani stated the choice was made towards opposition from the European Parliament, stressing that “this election ignores the distinction between reasonable consumption and alcohol abuse.” He stated he would ask the European Fee to intervene by complaining to the World Well being Group.
The European Union’s resolution to not oppose Eire’s plan to introduce well being warnings like these on cigarette packs for wine, beer and spirits has sparked widespread anger in Italy.
Dublin is free to place ahead the warnings about well being dangers associated to liver illness and most cancers after it knowledgeable the European Fee of its plans in June 2022 and the EU government raised no objections within the moratorium interval. six months later regardless of opposition from Italy, France, Spain and 6 different EU member states.
Italian winemakers worry the transfer would set a precedent that different international locations might comply with and have an effect on exports.
The Italian farmers’ affiliation Coldiretti known as it a “direct assault on Italy, the primary producer and exporter (of wine) with greater than 14 billion euros in (annual) income, greater than half of which comes from overseas.”
Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of the Italian Wine Union (UIV), stated the EU’s “consent by silence” to Irish spirits labels gave the inexperienced gentle to a “harmful” transfer by a member state.
The Minister of Agriculture, Meals Sovereignty and Forestry, Luigi D’Eramo, additionally expressed his dismay.
“Public well being is just not protected by criminalizing particular person merchandise,” D’Eramo stated in an announcement Thursday.
“Wine for us is historical past, tradition, expression of our territories and is a part of the Mediterranean eating regimen.
“It’s about high quality and accountable consumption.
“(The well being alert plan) is a harmful precedent that, if adopted by different international locations, dangers damaging a number one sector of our agri-food system.
“Wine and beer can’t be in comparison with spirits and smoking.”
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