New legislation would force advertisers to remove any scenes showing people, animals or pubs, according to the ABFI Photo: YouTube

A LOBBY group for the drinks industry has produced an edited video of a popular Guinness ad to show the impact proposed new laws will have on alcohol advertising.

The Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI) claim the “iconic” Guinness Christmas advertising will be effectively banned once new legislation set out in the Public Health Alcohol Bill is implemented.

The Guinness advertisement depicting snow covered scenes of Ireland at Christmas has been a staple of festive advertising in recent years.

New legislation would force advertisers to remove any scenes showing people, animals or pubs, according to the ABFI.

ABFI director Patricia Callan said the bill is “well intentioned” but will have “devastating consequences” for the drinks industry in Ireland.

“The bill will make it extremely difficult for all drinks companies to advertise their products - and is particularly harmful for small producers and new entrants who have invested heavily in breweries and distilleries across Ireland – and have less brand awareness,” Ms Callan said.

“This bill will make it extremely difficult to establish new products in Ireland and ultimately harms the drinks industries innovation, export and growth potential.

“The bill will also see the iconic Guinness Christmas ad banned, which for many is a sentimental feature of the festive season,” she added.

The drinks industry has launched an intense lobby campaign to prevent the new laws from restricting alcohol advertising

Online Editors