There seems to be no end to efforts by the overweening progressive regulatory state to meddle in the individual choices of citizens. Ireland’s government, doing what would have been unthinkable to prior generations of self-governing Irish, is hectoring its people about the dangers of alcohol. The plan was announced last June:
Bottles of wine, beer and spirits, as well as other alcohol products sold in Ireland will have to carry stark health warnings outlining direct links with drinking and fatal cancers. They must also bear markings on the dangers of liver disease from over-consumption as well as the risk faced by unborn babies if pregnant women consume alcohol, with notices also in pubs. The Government has notified the European Commission of its intention to introduce the labelling and to allow three months for other member states to respond.
A far cry from “Guinness is Good For You.” This is apparently aimed at people who somehow are unaware that drinking too much can be bad for you, or that pregnant women shouldn’t drink. The comment period has resulted in outraged responses from exporters in other EU states, but no formal objections filed by their governments, because it’s Europe and only the little people care about such things:
Coldiretti, Italy’s biggest farmers’ association, described the “terrifying” warnings as a “direct attack” against the country. Coldiretti noted that Italy was a key exporter of wine, with more than half of the industry’s €14bn of annual revenues coming from abroad. “The green light from the European Union for alarmist wine labels in Ireland represents a dangerous precedent as it risks opening the door to other legislation capable of negatively influencing consumer choices,” the association said in a statement. “It is completely improper to equate the excessive consumption of spirits, typical of the Nordic countries, to the moderate and conscious consumption of quality products with lower alcohol content, such as beer and wine”.
Italy’s government, now under a more populist leadership, also sees an ominous sign:
Luigi D’Eramo, an undersecretary at Italy’s agriculture, food sovereignty and forestry ministry, argued that wine and beer should not be compared to spirits and smoking. “You don’t protect public health by criminalising individual products,” he said. “Wine is history, culture … an expression of our territories and is part of the Mediterranean diet. It is about quality and responsible consumption. The health warning plan is a dangerous precedent which, if followed by other countries, risks damaging a leading sector of our food and agriculture system.”
Good luck stopping Leviathan.