The system is coming into effect from today.

The Government has introduced a new pricing system for alcohol, which means that prices of some brands across the country will go up from today (4 January) onwards. The new system put forward by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly was approved by the Cabinet earlier in 2021. Beers, ciders, and spirits will now have a minimum price they can be sold for based on how much alcohol content they contain. To determine the minimum cost of a can / bottle, you multiply the volume in millilitres by the percentage of ABV by 0.789, divide by 100 to get grams of alcohol content and multiply by €0.10 for the minimum unit cost. For example, a 500ml can of beer at 4.3% can't be sold for any less than €1.70. A six-pack of these cans would cost €10.20 at minimum. A two-litre bottle of cider at 5.5% will now cost at least €8.68. A 750ml bottle of wine at 12.5% will cost €7.40, and a strong wine (14.8%) will cost €8.76. A 200ml bottle of spirits at 40% will cost €6.31, and a 700ml bottle will cost €22.09. The system has already been implemented in Scotland, where weekly purchases of alcohol were reduced by 9.5g per adult per household since it was implemented. Lower income households showed the greatest drop in alcohol purchases, and the average weekly spending on alcohol increased by 0.61p. National charity DrinkAware has said that they support the move to implement a minimum unit pricing system. "It is intended that minimum unit pricing, when enacted alongside other interventions such as those in the Public Health Alcohol Act 2018 as well as comprehensive education and awareness programmes, will reduce alcohol-related harm in Ireland," the organisation said on their website. "Our mission is to prevent and reduce the misuse of alcohol, and Drinkaware supports public health initiatives that will assist in achieving this important mission." Some have criticised the new system, with Student Union President for NUI Galway Roisín Nic Lochlainn saying that people with addiction may forgo necessary purchases instead of cutting down on alcohol consumption.