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Tag: Ireland

  • 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.

  • Irish Authorities Seize 9M Cigarettes on Ferry

    Irish Authorities Seize 9M Cigarettes on Ferry

    Irish authorities seized 9 million smuggled cigarettes at Rosslare Europort in Co. Wexford this week following a routine Revenue search. The haul, from a truck and trailer arriving on a ferry from Dunkerque, France, consisted of Richmond King Size cigarettes with an estimated value of over €8 million, representing a potential loss of more than €6.4 million to the Irish exchequer. A man in his 40s was questioned in connection with the seizure, and investigations are ongoing.

  • Over a Fifth of Irish Vape Shops Caught Selling to Minors

    Over a Fifth of Irish Vape Shops Caught Selling to Minors

    More than 22% of vape shops inspected in Ireland were found selling vaping products to under-18s despite a legal ban in place since December 2023, according to figures from the Health Service Executive (HSE). Between January and October last year, 51 out of 224 retailers failed test-purchase checks conducted by inspectors, up from 40 violations recorded in 2024.
    The HSE’s National Environmental Health Service, which gained test-purchasing powers in March 2024, carried out hundreds of inspections to enforce the law. Retailers caught selling vapes to minors face fines of up to €4,000 and up to six months in prison. Authorities also issued dozens of prohibition orders against shops selling unregulated products.
    The data emerged in response to a parliamentary question, as Ireland considers further tightening vape laws. A proposed bill would ban disposable vapes, restrict flavors, and limit packaging colors and imagery to reduce youth appeal and environmental harm. Lawmakers are calling for even tougher measures, arguing that flavored and brightly packaged vapes continue to target young people despite existing restrictions.

  • Irish Retailers Lose Fight Against ‘Irrational’ License Fees

    Irish Retailers Lose Fight Against ‘Irrational’ License Fees

    A retailers’ group failed in a High Court challenge against Ireland’s new licensing fees of up to €1,800 for selling tobacco and nicotine products. Justice Rory Mulcahy ruled that the former health minister acted lawfully in setting the fees under the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023, finding the charges were justified on public health grounds and not arbitrary.

    The new regime, effective from February, replaces a one-off €50 registration fee with renewable annual fees of €1,800 for tobacco and nicotine products, €1,000 for tobacco only, or €800 for nicotine products only. The court rejected claims that the fees were irrational or disproportionately harmful to small retailers, noting that discouraging tobacco sales would not make the regulations unlawful.

  • Ireland Moving Toward Single-Use Vape Ban

    Ireland Moving Toward Single-Use Vape Ban

    Ireland’s Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor, on behalf of the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, will today (December 17) begin the passage of the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025 through the Oireachtas. The Bill, introduced at Second Stage in Dáil Éireann, proposes a ban on the sale of single-use vapes. The measure aims to reduce smoking and vaping rates and to prevent children and young people from starting to use nicotine.

    The Government has highlighted the rapid growth of single-use vapes in Ireland, rising youth vaping rates, and concerns that their low cost, ease of use, and appealing designs target young people. The legislation also addresses environmental impacts, citing the waste and damage caused by disposable vaping products. O’Connor described the legislation as a preventative step to curb nicotine addiction among young people and prevent long-term dependence.

  • Ireland Considering Disposable Vape Ban, Wider Nicotine Controls

    Ireland Considering Disposable Vape Ban, Wider Nicotine Controls

    The Irish Government is considering new legislation that would ban the retail sale of single-use or disposable vapes, amid growing concerns over youth uptake and the rapid evolution of nicotine products. According to The Journal, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is seeking Cabinet approval for the publication of the Public Health (Single-Use Vapes) Bill 2025, which would outlaw the products six months after becoming law.

    In addition to the vape ban, MacNeill is pushing for broader regulation of nicotine products through amendments to the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Bill. The changes would extend oversight to nicotine pouches, which are currently outside existing tobacco and vaping legislation.

    Public health advocates, including the Irish Cancer Society, have criticized the government for being slow to regulate new nicotine products. In August, the Society warned that the lack of oversight risked exposing young people to addictive substances.

  • Irish Tobacco Hike ‘Plucked Out of the Air,’ Court Told

    Irish Tobacco Hike ‘Plucked Out of the Air,’ Court Told

    The Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association (CSNA) has challenged new tobacco licensing fees in Ireland, claiming they are “plucked out of the air” and disproportionately impact smaller retailers. The 2024 regulations, introduced under the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 by former health minister Stephen Donnelly, raise fees from the old €50 one-off registration to €1,800 for combined tobacco and nicotine products, payable on every renewal. Retailers cannot pass the cost to consumers.

    CSNA argued the fees are arbitrary, lack evidential basis, and exceed the minister’s powers, while the government contends the fees are part of a long-standing policy to reduce tobacco availability. In court, CSNA sought to cross-examine Claire Gordon, Department of Health principal officer, over her affidavit explaining the policy, but Justice Rory Mulcahy rejected the request, noting the retailers can challenge her evidence but cannot investigate beyond it.