Trade Diary
| 22 May 2013 | ||||
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Policy
Our policy work is extensive, on a wide range of social, regulatory and technical issues. The wine and spirit industry is eager to play its part in the UK’s economic growth and we aim to shape an environment in which iour sector can increase investment and remain competitive. Regulation is one of the biggest barriers to growth any business can face. We strive to ensure that regulation─ whether at an international, national or local level− does not threaten the sector’s viability. Another key part of building a sustainable future for the industry is fostering a culture in which our products are enjoyed responsibly. We are committed to working in partnership with the UK Government and other stakeholders to deliver this.
Key Issues
Alcohol Taxation
We want an alcohol taxation system which is fair to moderate consumers and responsible businesses.This is the system we need for a sustainable, competitive alcohol industry. However in recent years, increasing duty on alcohol has placed a disproportionate burden on the sector. Click here for more detail.
Pricing
Policies based on increasing the price of alcohol are both ineffective and unfair.By their catch-all nature, they penalise those who consume and sell alcohol responsibly, rather than targeting harmful drinkers.Nor do they help people proactively take healthier decisions about their consumption.There are other, more effective approaches we can take. Click here for more detail.
Public Health
The WSTA has played a key role in shaping the industry’s commitments as part of the Public Health Responsibility Deal, which will help people to drink within recommended guidelines. Click here for more detail.
Social Responsibility
As demonstrated by our work on the Public Health Responsibility deal, the industry takes its responsibility for encouraging sensible consumption very seriously. WSTA members have led initiatives designed to address alcohol-related problems, such as Challenge 25 and Community Alcohol Partnerships. Click here for more detail.
Licensing Law in England and Wales
A licensing regime should tackle irresponsible businesses but not impose unnecessary restrictions on the ability of law-abiding licencees ability to trade and grow. Retailers are working in partnership at a local level to tackle alcohol-related problems. Click here for more detail.
Regulation of Wine and Spirit products
The cumulative burden of regulation on the sector is a major concern to businesses, especially given the challenge to remain competitive in the current economic circumstances. The WSTA seeks to manage the regulatory risks to the sector through wide-ranging work at the global, EU and national levels. Click here for more detail.
Facilitating Market Access
In an increasingly competitive international economic environment, opening up new markets and opportunities for the wine and spirit industry to grow is vital. Through our international contacts with other trade associations, we work to remove barriers to trade. Click here for more details.
Logistics, Customs & Excise
In common with all businesses, getting products to the right place, in the right condition, at the right time is vital for the wine and spirit sector. We work to ensure that processes relating to the movement of goods allow responsible businesses to operate in the most cost–effective and least burdensome way, whilst curbing the illegal activity which damages the industry. Click here for more detail.
Tackling fraud
The UK's high duty regime has the unfortunate consequence of creating an incentive for duty fraud. This damages the livelihood of honest businesses, with estimated losses from alcohol fraud across beer, wine, and spirits as high as £1 billion a year. In May 2011, the WSTA launched a fraud prevention unit to lead industry efforts to crackdown on all types of fraud in the wine and spirits sectors. Click here for more detail
Distance Selling
Many of our members sell wine and spirit products via the internet or mail order. Distance retailing continues to grow, as consumers embrace this way of shopping. Businesses selling their products remotely face a range of new and different issues. Click here for more detail.
Environment and Sustainability
Building a more environmentally sustainable industry is not only right in terms of social responsibility, it also makes good business sense. The WSTA supports a range of initiatives to build a greener wine and spirit sector. Click here for more detail.
Devolved Issues
We work wherever possible in partnership with decision-makers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to address alcohol harm. However, complying with increasingly different regulatory regimes in constituent parts of the UK creates considerable extra burdens on businesses operating UK-wide.
