Irish and American business interests stepped up their lobbying campaign against plain tobacco packaging as the Government moved last week to approve legislation on the measure.
In the seven days since the Cabinet signed off the draft law, Government TDs have sent on dozens of letters from retailers opposing the new law to Minister for Health James Reilly.
It has also emerged the president of the US Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donohue, wrote to Taoiseach Enda Kenny the day before Dr Reilly brought the matter to Ministers last week for a decision.
“We understand that your Cabinet is poised to consider legislation that would impose plain packaging requirements on tobacco products,” wrote Mr Donohue. He expressed concern the measure would “undercut well-established protections for intellectual property” without evidence of its effectiveness.
He also enclosed a copy of a previous letter on the matter to Mr Kenny from the chamber and five other US business groups. His intervention in private correspondence came days ahead of a public statement on the legislation by the chamber’s intellectual property division.
Such lobbying comes amid growing expectation of a legal challenge to the legislation by the tobacco industry.
Source: Arthur Beesley, Irish Times, 18/06/14
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