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"Ciderhead":31kbypil wrote: I'm sure the will be an ammendment to cover commercial samples.[/quote:31kbypil]

I don't see why you are sure about that. Have you heard anyone in power mentioning such an amendment?

I would imagine this will be dealt with like much of Irish law; through the magic of selective enforcement. As long as no one makes a hooha about it and no one takes the piss, samples etc. will be quietly ignored even if they are technically illegal.

There are enough vested interests to fight for this if it becomes a problem. But if they're putting in wording to allow it, I think it's important that we see it. Wording that allows for commercial samples and in-store tasting may not allow for homebrew meets or festival tasters, say.

I think the root problem is that this draft bill is a hodge-podge of tobacco and sunbed laws that haven't really been thought through when applied to alcohol.

"TheBeerNut":3nie0eeg wrote: So that's the end of your free samples of chablis in Donnybrook Fair, right? No more meet-the-brewer nights or homebrew meetings either. The end of taste-before-you-buy at the bar. Am I reading this right, or is there a reason everyone else isn't screaming?[/quote:3nie0eeg]

Very good spot. "Supply" is interpreted in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1977[/url:3nie0eeg] as including "giving without payment". At the lack of a definition in this Bill (or other alcohol legislation), the MDA would probably be a good reference point for any judge.

It's most likely done to prevent a business from, say, offering one beer for above the minimum price and then offering a second one free, to evade the law. If it were applied commercially and non-commercially alike, it would also technically make it illegal to give a glass of wine or beer to your friends.

It's likely that the Oireachtas never intended it to extend to these kinds of things. In reality, giving a glass of beer to your friends will highly unlikely see a prosecution. But, the free sample tasting etc. that you mention, I wouldn't be so sure about their safety.

Also, see section 5:

[quote:3nie0eeg]
It shall be an offence for a person to–
(a) Manufacture
(f) Distribute free of charge, or
(g) Supply for any of those purposes (whether or not for profit),

any alcohol product container that does not bear:

(a) the quantity in grams of alcohol;
(b) energy value;
(c) a warning about the danger of consuming alcohol
(d) a warning about the danger of consuming alcohol when pregnant.[/quote:3nie0eeg]

So, if you give a non-labelled bottle of homebrew to your friend, you'll be guilty of an offence. The (first time) penalty for which is a maximum of 6 months in prison or a €4,000 fine or both.

How does this differ from the Scottish version which is undergoing a review in Europe?

If the Scottish version is rejected does the Irish version fail also?

"Paz-CCFC":3uwu56k2 wrote: So, if you give a non-labelled bottle of homebrew to your friend, you'll be guilty of an offence.[/quote:3uwu56k2]That's true, but it's unenforceable so it doesn't [i:3uwu56k2]really [/i:3uwu56k2]matter. But as you say, where a commercial licence-holder is involved, there appears to be a real problem.

"CDow":1zkdbi7q wrote: How does this differ from the Scottish version which is undergoing a review in Europe?[/quote:1zkdbi7q]I haven't compared.

"CDow":1zkdbi7q wrote: If the Scottish version is rejected does the Irish version fail also?
[/quote:1zkdbi7q]Not automatically AFAIK, it would have to be challenged. The problem here is that the Scottish one has a powerful opponent in the spirits industry, who make real money from their £8 bottles of gin and whisky. The Irish one seems to have hit a very sweet spot where big beer, big pub, independent traders and the health taliban are all happy with it. Which is not good for li'l ol' us.