Law to clarify minimum alcohol pricing for wholesalers

Scotland's new law on alcohol minimum pricing is to be amended to clarify how it applies to wholesalers.

Since minimum unit pricing – at 50p per unit of alcohol – came into force on 1 May, differing views have arisen within the licensing community on whether a wholesaler with a premises licence has to apply minimum pricing to trade sales or whether trade sales from those licensed premises are exempt from the pricing rule, which operates as a mandatory condition of a premises or occasional licence.

The proposed statutory instrument included in the consultation would make it clear that the minimum price per unit does not apply for the purposes of sales to trade, in line with the policy behind minimum pricing which targets harmful drinking by consumers.

The consultation is being held to satisfy EU Regulation No 178/2002, which requires that there should be open and transparent public consultation where food law, which includes alcohol pricing, is being prepared or changed.

Click here to access the consultation. Responses are due by 26 October 2018.