SIBA
Craft brewers say the pub is the
best way to tackle binge drinking
The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) says the best way to tackle the problem of binge drinking is to encourage young people to drink in the controlled environment of the pub. SIBA chairman Peter Amor told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme today (25 February) that his members concentrate on cask beer and that can only be consumed on pub premises.
SIBA has called up the images of Hogarth's celebrated 18th century drawings of Gin Alley and Beer Lane to stress the healthy aspects of beer drinking compared to cheap spirits. Evidence shows that many young people who engage in binge drinking often consume cheap supermarket vodka before going out to continue drinking.
Peter Amor -- who founded the Wye Valley Brewery and runs the Barrels pub in Hereford -- stressed in the interview that pub drinking is quite different to consuming alcohol in the streets bought from corner shops or supermarkets. In pubs, young people will mix with older and more experienced drinkers who consume moderate amounts of alcohol. Publicans also have a duty to maintain their pubs in a legal manner and cannot allow drunken behaviour for fear of losing their licences.
The SIBA campaign comes at a time when both sections of the media, politicians and doctors are whipping up a campaign to increase the duty on alcohol in this year's Budget and to curtail what is called "24-hour drinking". Even the lofty British Medical Association last week called for both higher duty rates and a review of 24-hour drinking. The Independent on Sunday newspaper (24 February) said 24-hour pub licensing had proved to be a failure even though there is no such thing. The new licensing laws, introduced in 2006, allows pub owners to vary their hours within a 24-hour cycle but must register them with the licensing authorities. Scarcely any pubs in the country are open for 24 hours: it is mainly hotels and supermarkets that serve alcohol round the clock.
SIBA is to be congratulated for putting its collective head above the parapet and challenging the bandwagon that would penalise the overwhelming majority of sensible drinkers as a result of the behaviour of a tiny minority.
best way to tackle binge drinking
The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) says the best way to tackle the problem of binge drinking is to encourage young people to drink in the controlled environment of the pub. SIBA chairman Peter Amor told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme today (25 February) that his members concentrate on cask beer and that can only be consumed on pub premises.
SIBA has called up the images of Hogarth's celebrated 18th century drawings of Gin Alley and Beer Lane to stress the healthy aspects of beer drinking compared to cheap spirits. Evidence shows that many young people who engage in binge drinking often consume cheap supermarket vodka before going out to continue drinking.
Peter Amor -- who founded the Wye Valley Brewery and runs the Barrels pub in Hereford -- stressed in the interview that pub drinking is quite different to consuming alcohol in the streets bought from corner shops or supermarkets. In pubs, young people will mix with older and more experienced drinkers who consume moderate amounts of alcohol. Publicans also have a duty to maintain their pubs in a legal manner and cannot allow drunken behaviour for fear of losing their licences.
The SIBA campaign comes at a time when both sections of the media, politicians and doctors are whipping up a campaign to increase the duty on alcohol in this year's Budget and to curtail what is called "24-hour drinking". Even the lofty British Medical Association last week called for both higher duty rates and a review of 24-hour drinking. The Independent on Sunday newspaper (24 February) said 24-hour pub licensing had proved to be a failure even though there is no such thing. The new licensing laws, introduced in 2006, allows pub owners to vary their hours within a 24-hour cycle but must register them with the licensing authorities. Scarcely any pubs in the country are open for 24 hours: it is mainly hotels and supermarkets that serve alcohol round the clock.
SIBA is to be congratulated for putting its collective head above the parapet and challenging the bandwagon that would penalise the overwhelming majority of sensible drinkers as a result of the behaviour of a tiny minority.
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