On Wednesday Dec. 21, 2011, Ireland’s Minister for Health announced that regulations had been finalized to require a series of 14 picture health warnings to appear on packages as of February 1, 2013 at the manufacturer/importer level. The text in the warnings will be bilingual (English and Gaelic). The picture health warning requirements will apply to cigarettes and other smoked tobacco products.
Ireland will become the eighth EU country to require picture warnings, joining Belgium, France, Latvia, Malta, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. There are more than 40 jurisdictions worldwide requiring picture warnings for cigarette packages.
Below is the Irish government’s news release, as well as some news items. To see the Public Health (Tobacco) (General and Combined Warnings) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 656 of 2011, which includes the 14 new picture warnings, visit:
http://www.dohc.ie/
For some short corresponding amendments to the European Communities (Manufacture, Presentation and Sale of Tobacco Products) (Amendment) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 655 of 2011, visit:
http://www.dohc.ie/
