From today – low cost, high strength alcohol will be more expensive in Wales
From today, Monday, March 2, we will see big change to the way alcohol is sold in Wales with the introduction of a minimum unit price for alcohol.
Minimum unit pricing (MUP) is a way of setting a baseline price below which no one can sell an alcoholic drink.
That price is based on how much alcohol is in each drink.
The minimum price being set in Wales is 50p per unit of alcohol.
Each unit of alcohol is 10ml (two teaspoons) of pure alcohol.
The biggest price increases will be for so-called ‘white ciders’ – strong, cheap ciders which are often sold in large plastic bottles.
Some of these are set to more than double in price and may well disappear from sale in many places.
Discounting of spirits will be much more difficult for shops to do.
For example, 750ml bottles of vodka, whisky and gin are sometimes sold now for as little as £10. That’s set to rise to £13.
Most popular wine brands are already sold in shops at more than 50p per unit and so their prices are unlikely to change, although some wines sold in discount supermarkets are likely to go up in price.
Popular beer brands are also usually sold above the level of the MUP when sold singly or in small packs.
But some of the discounts that supermarkets apply when selling beer in multipacks or slabs will no longer be possible, since they often take the price below 50p per unit.
Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP) in 2018.
Sales data suggests a decrease in cider sales in Scotland since the introduction of minimum unit pricing, the decrease is particularly pronounced for cheap, white ciders.
The Welsh Government said there are 60,000 admissions to hospital every year, because of alcohol.
In 2018, there were 535 alcohol-related deaths in Wales.
The Welsh Government says the new law supports the “comprehensive work to tackle harmful and hazardous drinking” by tackling the availability and affordability of cheap, strong alcohol.
Research estimates that introducing a 50p minimum unit price (MUP) would:
- result in 66 fewer deaths and 1,281 fewer hospital admissions in Wales per year
- would save the Welsh NHS more than £90 million over 20 years, in direct healthcare costs
- would reduce workplace absence, which is estimated to fall by up to 9,800 days per year
- over a 20 year period, the introduction of a MUP could contribute £783 million to the Welsh economy in terms of the reduction in alcohol-related illness, crime and workplace absence.
A recent report from a consortium of researchers including Figure 8 Consultancy Services Ltd, the University of South Wales and Glyndwr University has shown the introduction of a 50p minimum unit price for alcohol in Wales is unlikely to see drinkers switching to other substances or drugs.
Health Minister, Vaughan Gething, said:
“There is a very real and clear link between levels of excessive drinking and the availability of cheap alcohol.
We believe the introduction of a minimum unit price will help reduce alcohol related harm and support people to drink responsibly.
Scotland has seen a decline in the amount of alcohol that is consumed since the introduction of MUP and I hope that we will see similar results in Wales.”
Spotted something? Got a story? Send a Facebook Message | A direct message on Twitter | Email: News@Deeside.com
Latest News
