Ireland has enacted a fresh set of regulations today under the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, marking a significant shift in how alcohol can be marketed and sold to the public. These measures, which are the latest in a phased rollout of the act, are designed to reduce harmful alcohol consumption by removing incentives to purchase more.

While previous implementations of the act have largely affected retailers and advertisers, the new measures directly impact consumers. Most notably, alcohol can no longer be purchased using loyalty points, and retailers are now banned from offering discounts based on the purchase of multiple alcohol products.

Although individual bottle discounts remain permissible, promotions such as “buy six bottles and get 24% off” are no longer allowed. The move aims to curtail the marketing strategies that encourage bulk buying and increased alcohol consumption.

Loyalty schemes and multi-buy discounts targeted

Among the key changes now in effect, one of the most prominent is the ban on loyalty point rewards for alcohol purchases. Under the new rule, shoppers will not be able to earn or redeem loyalty points against alcoholic drinks—removing a marketing tool often used to build customer loyalty around regular alcohol purchases.

Retailers are also prohibited from linking alcohol discounts to the purchase of multiple items, a common supermarket strategy. While consumers can still find discounts on individual bottles, pricing schemes based on volume or combined purchases are no longer allowed under the law.

These regulations come ahead of another major provision in the Public Health Act—a minimum unit pricing for alcohol, which is planned to be introduced simultaneously in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This measure, still pending full implementation, is intended to prevent the sale of extremely cheap alcohol and further discourage excessive consumption.

Public health advocates welcome the changes

Alcohol Action Ireland, a leading charity advocating for alcohol harm reduction, has welcomed the new rules. Speaking to the Irish Times, Eunan McKinney, head of communications at the charity, praised the measures for addressing supermarket promotions that fuel problematic drinking patterns.

“These regulations will act as a small impediment to encouraging greater use and so contribute to reducing alcohol harm,” McKinney said. “Crucially, the ending of short-term promotions, so evident throughout the supermarket multiples, will bring some reason to what have been reckless price reductions on alcohol.”

The charity has long pushed for comprehensive alcohol reform, arguing that pricing and marketing strategies play a major role in normalising excessive drinking, particularly among young people.

Wider alcohol advertising restrictions on the horizon

Today’s rules follow earlier changes introduced under the act in November 2019, when alcohol advertising was banned at bus stops located within 200 metres of schools and during certain cinema screenings. That was the first wave of visible public restrictions stemming from the legislation.

By November 2021, further bans will be rolled out, extending to alcohol advertising at sporting events, children’s events, and any events involving vehicles or racing. These future measures continue the government’s strategy of gradually removing alcohol visibility in settings where it can influence impressionable audiences.

The Ireland alcohol regulations represent a public health-driven attempt to shift the culture around drinking, aiming to protect vulnerable groups and reduce alcohol-related harm. While the new rules may be seen by some as restrictive, public health advocates argue that such policy changes are necessary to reverse years of permissive alcohol marketing.

As Ireland continues to lead on progressive alcohol legislation, these latest restrictions mark another step in aligning retail and advertising practices with long-term health objectives.