The Scottish Government has been left “deeply disappointed” after the announcement of a Supreme Court challenge against its minimum alcohol pricing plans.
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has been heavily criticised since announcing that they would be appealing the proposal, which was only recently given approval in the Inner House of the Court of Session.
The minimum pricing plan was first passed by Holyrood in 2012, but has been at the centre of a lengthy legal battle between the Scottish Government and the alcohol industry.
‘Disingenuous’
Chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, Alison Douglas, accused the SWA of putting “shareholders’ profits above the public interest”.
She said: “It is totally disingenuous of the SWA to say they are committed to tackling alcohol harm when they consistently block the single most effective measure to achieve that.
“They are borrowing from the tactics of the tobacco companies in delaying this lifesaving measure.”
Cost lives
In October, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the approval given by Scotland’s highest court, and was urged to implement the plans as soon as possible.
Chairman of British Medical Association Scotland, Peter Bennie, said that the decision to appeal the ruling will delay a measure that “would save lives”.
“Scotland’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol is well-documented and carries a tragic human toll with hundreds of people dying each year as a result of alcohol-related issues, to say nothing of the wider impact on families and public services”, he said.
The SWA have continuously opposed the minimum pricing plans with the acting Chief Executive, Julie Hesketh-Laird, claiming they are “incompatible with EU law and likely to be ineffective”.