Report links alcohol abuse to sports sponsorship

Alcohol abuse in Ireland is linked to the sponsorship of sporting events by drinks companies, according to an Oireachtas report.

The cross-party report - drawn up by the Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs - says young people are repeatedly being exposed to high-level alcohol promotions "inculcating pro-drinking attitudes" and "increasing the likelihood of heavier drinking".

The report calls on the Government to acknowledge the extent of the problem of alcohol abuse in Ireland and "the underlying role that drinks sponsorship and promotion plays in it".

It recommends sponsorship for sport should be sought from outside of the alcohol industry, claiming "the correlation between the onset of drinks sponsorship and the rapid rise in alcohol consumption in this country is too strong to be ignored".

But although the committee recommends controlling the promotion of alcohol, it does not advocate imposing a ban on advertising alcoholic beverages.

Cecelia Keaveney: alcohol and it promotion and adcvertising play an 'insidious role' in our national lifestyle

"While the research in this area is considerable, the evidence indicates that there is no causal link between alcohol advertising and individual drinking levels," it noted. The committee cites Ireland's increased consumption of wine - which receives the least amount of advertising - as evidence of this point.

"A ban on the advertising and sponsorship by alcohol companies on its own will not achieve the desired results and could indeed be counter productive if the other measures are not implemented," the report stated.

"If the Government are serious about tackling this issue it must be done on a partnership basis with the relevant authorities, and both the consumers and suppliers of alcoholic products.

"What is needed is a change in our cultural perception of the use of alcohol along with education regarding safe usage and a protection package to prevent exploitation, particularly of young people," it said.

In her foreword to the report, the committee's chairwoman, Donegal North East TD Cecilia Keaveney, said the report highlighted "the insidious role that alcohol and its advertising and promotion plays in our national lifestyle".

Ms Keaveney said the report is but one of many crying stop. "How many more tragedies and ruined lives do we need?" she asked.

But Drinks Manufacturers of Ireland (DMI), the representative body for the alcohol beverage manufacturing sector, today criticised the report, rejecting the suggestion there was a link between sports sponsorship by drinks companies and alcohol misuse.

"The report fails to provide any conclusive evidence linking sports sponsorship by drinks companies and alcohol misuse," the DMI's director, Rosemary Garth, said.

"The committee's recommendations are deeply flawed and are not supported by the report's own analysis. This has all the hallmarks of an attempt to shoehorn an argument to make it fit with some preconceived notions about an issue," she added.