Cork politicians welcome broadcast watershed ban on alcohol advertising  

A number of Cork politicians have welcomed the broadcast watershed ban on alcohol advertising on television and radio in Ireland.

Under the new rules, there can be no advertising of alcohol products on television from 3am to 9pm, nor on radio weekdays from 3pm until 10am the following morning.

The new rules are in force under Section 19 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act (PHAA) 2018, which introduces a restriction on times when alcohol advertising can be broadcast on radio and television.

One of the primary objectives of this move is to reduce exposure to children in relation to the advertisements of alcohol products. Speaking to The Echo, Thomas Gould, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, welcomed the move.

“I do support the restriction on alcohol advertising, especially the way you see it being targeted at younger people.”

Positive step

Fianna Fáil councillor Colm Kelleher said: “In relation to this, it is a positive step in the right direction. Broadly speaking it is very welcome.

“Unfortunately some people do have a high dependency on alcohol. The marketing executives of these big companies do spend millions every year marketing alcohol to the general public.

“Obviously you had stringent advertising laws that came in relation to tobacco years ago and I would strongly support those.”

Long overdue

Meanwhile, Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) have said the advertising ban is long overdue.

AAI CEO Dr Sheila Gilheany said: “Ireland is rightly praised internationally for its leadership in passing the PHAA, which is a suite of quite modest measures designed to provide some degree of protection from the tactics of an aggressive industry acting against the population’s health through relentless marketing.

“AAI and many others have strongly campaigned for years for its introduction and since it was passed alcohol consumption per capita has dropped by 10%, which is positive.

“However, the fact that the broadcast watershed is only coming into force now, almost seven years after being signed into law, and that not all sections of the PHAA are in force yet shows the power of the alcohol industry’s lobbying efforts to stymie and delay progress.”

Dr Gilheany added: “The different sections of the PHAA are designed to complement one another, and the legislation’s public health benefits will only be fully realised when all the sections are enforced. With Ireland still drinking at a level 40% higher than HSE lower-risk guidelines, this is an imperative.”