TobaccoReporter logo

Tag: Ireland

  • Irish Councilors Seek Tiered Tobacco and Nicotine Retail Licensing Fees

    Irish Councilors Seek Tiered Tobacco and Nicotine Retail Licensing Fees

    Limerick City and County councilors are urging the Irish government to revise planned tobacco and nicotine retail licensing charges for 2027, proposing a tiered fee structure instead of a flat annual charge of €1,800. Independent Councilor Ursula Gavan introduced the motion at a September Metropolitan District meeting, arguing that the proposed fee would disproportionately affect small independent retailers and could force some shops to close.

    Other councilors supported reviewing the system, citing rising operating costs and differences in the financial capacity of small retailers and supermarket chains. The proposal asks the minister responsible for enterprise, trade, and tourism to work with Revenue to revise the planned charges.

  • Ireland to Raise Tobacco and Vape Duties

    Ireland to Raise Tobacco and Vape Duties

    Ireland will increase excise duty on a pack of 20 cigarettes by €1 and raise the duty on e-liquid products by 20 cents per milliliter from Jan. 1, 2027, Finance Minister Simon Harris announced today (Oct. 6) as part of Budget 2027. The vape-duty increase will add €2 to the cost of a 10ml bottle. The Asthma Society welcomed the measures, while Retailers Against Smuggling warned the higher tobacco tax could push consumers toward the illicit market.

    Responsible Vaping Ireland said the e-liquid tax increase will add pressure to retailers already facing higher operating costs and could make regulated vaping products less competitive with illegal alternatives. The group also argued that tax policy should support smokers seeking alternatives, noting that more than 23,000 adults have quit smoking with the help of vaping products.

  • Ireland’s HSE Warns of Risks from Unregulated Vapes

    Ireland’s HSE Warns of Risks from Unregulated Vapes

    Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) warned that a lack of regulation of vapes and edibles is putting consumers, particularly teenagers, at risk after high-risk synthetic cannabinoids were detected in products sold in the country. Testing by the HSE’s Emerging Drug Trends laboratory found synthetic or semisynthetic cannabinoids in some nicotine and CBD products that had been tampered with. Of 76 vapes tested, 28 contained HHC, a semisynthetic cannabinoid banned in Ireland last year. Acetate was detected in 13% of tested vapes and, when combined with synthetic or semisynthetic cannabinoids, has been associated with lung damage.

    The HSE said large-scale testing would require a significant budget and called for the HSE, Department of Health, Food Safety Authority of Ireland and other stakeholders to establish a regulatory framework. Current testing largely relies on samples collected through festivals, addiction services and hospitals, while forensic laboratory testing can take six to eight months.

  • Ireland Reviews Tobacco Affordability

    Ireland Reviews Tobacco Affordability

    Ireland’s Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is reviewing tobacco affordability at the request of the chief medical officer, amid little change in smoking prevalence in recent years. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland reported that smoking among people aged 15 and older remained at about 17–18% between 2019 and 2025.

    HIQA said cigarette taxation has increased the price of a 20-pack by 24% since 2020, while average weekly earnings have risen 28%, potentially making tobacco more affordable despite higher taxes. Its analysis will compare tobacco affordability in Ireland with other EU countries and the UK and assess measures including household disposable income, wage growth, and household expenditure alongside GDP.

    The review will be submitted to the Chief Medical Officer and Department of Health to inform future policy. Ireland has already raised the legal purchase age to 21, banned disposable vapes and bright flavor descriptors, and restricted self-service vending machines. The government is also considering a generational ban on tobacco and nicotine-inhaling products.

  • Ireland Weighs Cigarette Tax Increase in 2027 Budget

    Ireland Weighs Cigarette Tax Increase in 2027 Budget

    Ireland’s coalition government is considering another increase in cigarette prices for Budget 2027, with reports that the price of a 20-pack could rise from €19.50 to €20. The proposed increase would follow combined cigarette tax increases of €3.25 over the past five years.

    Budget 2027 is scheduled to be presented in October, with ministers currently considering potential measures. While cigarette excise duties are expected to rise, the government is reportedly planning to leave alcohol excise duties unchanged.

  • EU: Italy, Greece Oppose Irish Bill on Nicotine Products

    EU: Italy, Greece Oppose Irish Bill on Nicotine Products

    According to Generation Sans Tabac, Italy and Greece submitted detailed opinions to the European Commission under the EU’s TRIS notification procedure opposing Ireland’s proposed legislation to tighten regulation of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. The Irish bill would ban non-tobacco flavors, prohibit flavor-related product names, introduce plain packaging, restrict retail and online product displays, and extend these measures to nicotine pouches. Both countries argued that the proposals could create barriers to trade and conflict with the EU’s ongoing revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD).

    Italy questioned the proportionality of measures such as flavor bans, plain packaging, and display restrictions, arguing that less restrictive alternatives — including stronger age verification and market surveillance — should be considered. Greece raised concerns over increased compliance costs and market fragmentation, particularly for manufacturers and exporters of nicotine products. The detailed opinions extend the standstill period for Ireland’s draft law until October 7, delaying its potential implementation while the European Commission reviews the objections.

  • Tobacco Price Gap Driving Irish Customers Cross-Border

    Tobacco Price Gap Driving Irish Customers Cross-Border

    Irish consumers are increasingly purchasing tobacco products abroad or through duty-free channels due to significant price differences with mainland Europe, according to new research commissioned by Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS). Survey data of 1,000 adults found that 28% had bought tobacco outside Ireland, with Spain accounting for 48% of those purchases. The group highlighted a sharp excise gap—around €3 per pack in Spain compared to nearly €11 in Ireland—contributing to domestic prices approaching €19 per pack.

    Retailers warned that the price disparity is driving both cross-border purchasing and illicit trade, which now accounts for more than a quarter of the Irish market and is estimated to cost the government €590 million annually in lost revenue. RAS has called for stronger enforcement of existing rules on duty-free and cross-border limits, arguing that current measures must be backed by more visible and targeted action.

  • Ireland Customs Seizes 11M Illegal Cigarettes

    Ireland Customs Seizes 11M Illegal Cigarettes

    Revenue officers in Ireland seized about 11.4 million illicit cigarettes at Dublin Port following a targeted inspection on April 30. The shipment, which arrived from Rotterdam and was declared as cardboard packaging, was flagged through routine risk profiling and uncovered with the assistance of a detector dog and mobile X-ray scanner. The cigarettes, including brands such as Lambert & Butler Silver, Superkings Blue, and Richmond, are estimated to be worth more than €10.8 million, with a potential tax loss to the state of over €8.4 million.

    Authorities said investigations are ongoing and noted the seizure forms part of broader efforts to combat illegal tobacco trade and the shadow economy.

  • Ireland Called to Consider Australian-Style Vape Ban

    Ireland Called to Consider Australian-Style Vape Ban

    Calls to restrict vape sales to pharmacies have resurfaced in Ireland after a regional health forum asked the Health Service Executive to study whether an Australia-style model could curb youth vaping. At the HSE South-West Regional Health Forum, councilors from multiple parties backed a motion from Cork City South East Councilor Peter Horgan, urging research into the potential benefits and drawbacks of limiting vape sales to pharmacy-only settings. The proposal follows mounting concern over youth use, with estimates suggesting one in five 15–16 year olds now vape, and ongoing criticism of brightly colored devices and sweet flavors seen as appealing to children.

    Supporters of the motion pointed to Australia’s 2024 shift to pharmacy-only sales for all vaping products as a possible template, arguing that higher prices and restricted access there may have reduced affordability for young people despite illicit trade challenges. HSE representatives highlighted existing national campaigns aimed at parents, schools and teenagers, including peer-led education and the “Take a Breath” initiative launched in 2025. The forum agreed to seek national HSE funding for a feasibility study, with the intention of using the findings to inform future policy discussions at the government level.

  • Ireland Seizes €8.5 Million Worth of Illegal Cigarettes

    Ireland Seizes €8.5 Million Worth of Illegal Cigarettes

    Irish authorities seized about 9 million illegal cigarettes at Dublin Port during an inspection of a container arriving from Rotterdam. Officers from Revenue Irish Tax and Customs discovered the cigarettes, branded “Richmond,” concealed in a shipment declared as food after conducting routine risk profiling, assisted by a detector dog and a mobile X-ray scanner.

    The cigarettes have an estimated retail value of more than €8.5 million and represent a potential loss to the Irish Exchequer of over €6.6 million in unpaid taxes. Authorities said the seizure forms part of ongoing efforts to combat the illegal tobacco trade and the wider shadow economy, with investigations continuing.