THE FRENCH WINE LOBBY GROUP VIN & SOCIÉTÉ, HAS LAUNCHED A CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT’S ANTI-ALCOHOL POLICIES. PROSECUTION UNDER THE NEW BILL ON PUBLIC HEALTH IS REPUTED TOO SIMPLISTIC AND DRASTIC

Vin & Société, the French wine lobby group (representing 500.000 people working in the sector), has launched a campaign to force the government to listen to the French wine world’s concerns about the new law on public health, under discussion in Parliament.

They are concerned that the bill expected to be approved later this year is too drastic, since it proposes wineries remove messages on bottle labels about drinking in moderation, in favor of the simple and peremptory message, "alcohol is dangerous".

The French wine lobby group's campaign invites the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, respectively Francois Hollande and Jean-Marc Ayrault, to create an intergovernmental body to oversee all laws that could affect the wine trade.

In the meantime, Vin & Société has denounced the inaction of the Government and the Minister of Health regarding the matter: wine is not only a health issue, but it is an important element of the economy, culture and tourism in France.
The French wine industry is also threatened by the policy that would raise taxes on bottles of wine (beer and spirits have already been increased) – a secure source of revenue, which would plug the hole in the country’s health care spending budget.