The experience of a Canadian province, released in the journal Addiction, is the first to examine the effectiveness of setting minimum prices as a means of curbing alcohol consumption.

New data published in the journal showed that people drunk 3.4 percent less alcohol overall every time the minimum price on beer and other drinks was increased by 10 per cent.

“This is significant information for policies to prevent the substantial toll of death, injury and illness associated with hazardous alcohol use,” said researcher Tim Stockwell.

“Our results support having a standard minimum price per standard drink for all alcoholic beverages as a cornerstone of alcohol problem prevention.”

The research comes after David Cameron’s calls for the government to explore the possibility of introducing minimum pricing in England to curb binge drinking.

Scotland has already pushed ahead with minimum pricing and the Prime Minister has reportedly ordered officials to develop a scheme that would make it illegal for alcohol to be sold below 40p or 50p per unit, in a move to curb the cheapest deals in supermarkets.

The proposal could be included in the Government’s new alcohol strategy, which is due to be published in early 2012.
The department for Business, Innovation and Skills had previously warned that minimum pricing could fall foul of European competition laws.

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Under this new scheme, a licensee can make a direct request to SIBA to have an empty keg collected, if a member has previously failed to do so for any reason. Continued SIBA membership will be dependent on agreement with these new terms.

The plans also include the intended creation of a national network of SIBA regional hubs in eight locations throughout the UK, making it easier for members to collect containers already in the process of being collected.

SIBA commercial director, Nick Stafford commented:

‘NCRNet promises to alleviate some of the burden of container repatriation for licensees and smaller brewers. However, it will only be effective if everyone involved follows the protocols, and we would ask licensees to be vigilant about the container collections from their pub.

‘Containers removed by the wrong person can take months to recover or disappear, putting major strain on the limited resources of small brewers and ultimately adding to the price of beer.’

With 95 percent of the UK population living within ten miles of the confirmed route, several local authorities are planning events to coincide with the torch’s arrival in their region.

With overnight stops planned in certain locations, licensees have been advised by the Association for Multiple Licensed Retailers to begin preparing now if they want to be involved in these popular occasions.

Clare Eames, partner at licensing lawyer Poppleston Allen commented:

‘If you want to take advantage of the wave of enthusiasm that the Olympics will undoubtedly generate, you need to act now.

‘The torch relay will provide real opportunities for operators across the UK – jump on the bandwagon now if you want to boost your trade.’

News of another campaign to tie in with the Olympics was also unveiled by culture secretary Jeremy Hunt and VisitEngland. The ‘20.12% campaign’ is a discount scheme to boost tourism around Olympic time by offering discounts on services such as food, drink and accommodation, with many licensed businesses being encouraged to sign up.

Since the relevant law was introduced at the start of October, almost 80 percent of the 300 members surveyed said they hadn’t seen the unpopular measures for sale in pubs.

However, 45 percent of members said they did want landlords to offer the controversial  measure, with many theorising that it would encourage more customers to try new and different real ales.

CAMRA head of public affairs, Jonathan Mail, commented:

‘It appears British beer drinkers remain in two minds about this new two-thirds pint measure, and this uncertainty is reflected by publicans, very few of whom have taken on the new glassware since the beginning of October.’

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Several factors were cited – including recent record duty increases by the Government and rising energy costs – as reasons why the cost of Stella would rise by five pence per pint and Becks Vier by seven pence.

Stuart MacFarlane, InBev UK’s president, commented on what had prompted the brewer to implement the planned price hikes;

‘This is the smallest increase we are able to deliver and maintain our business on a sustainable footing. We will of course continue to focus on driving cost and efficiencies in an effort to minimise impact.’

The ECJ ruling stated that the previous existing national legislation regarding the use of these decoders in pubs was ‘contrary to the freedom to provide services and [cannot] be justified’.

The court also ruled that footage of games of football in itself couldn’t be copyrighted – only elements such as logos and graphics could. This obviously raises some complicated issues in terms of score and timing displays and suchlike.

With the case being such a complicated one, this seems likely to be far from over and both Sky and the Premier League are expected to form a fairly weighty response.

A recent article in The Guardian highlighted the growing appeal of cask ale among younger, affluent drinkers that were choosing it over more expensive mass market keg lagers and had helped to swell its share of the UK market to 15 percent.

The article, which you can read here, also referenced the 2011-2012 Cask Ale report, produced by ale enthusiast Pete Brown. The report investigates some of the reasons for cask ale’s reversal of fortunes in contrast to lager in the UK pub industry, looking at factors including pricing, image perception and attitudes.

Whatever the reasons, the fact that cask ale is helping to keep some pubs open in a climate where hundreds are being forced to shut is great news for landlords and our industry as a whole.

Read the full report by clicking here.

• 57 percent of tied tenants say they’re struggling financially (compared to 43 percent of non-tied)
• 88 percent of these specifically identified the beer tie as one of the most significant factors in their financial problems
• Almost 90 percent of tied pubs generate an annual profit of £30,000 or less (non-tied: 74 percent)
• 37 percent of tied tenants believe that within three years they will no longer be managing their current pub (non-tied: 22 percent)

Among several recommendations, the IPPR’s report called on the Government to:

• Require pub companies with more than 500 tied pubs offering commercial full repairing and insuring leases to ‘provide flexibility’ to lessees, including a guest beer option and an option to become free of tie, accompanied by an open market rent review
• Require pub companies to cooperate with the creation of a pub rents database, and publish their wholesale price lists and details of discounts paid to lessees
• Implement the recommendation from the Law Commission that unfair contract terms regulations should be amended to improve protection for the smallest and most vulnerable businesses (those with nine staff or fewer).

IPPR associate directo, Rick Muir commented:

‘Thousands of publicans across Britain are being put under significant financial pressure by the beer tie. Our survey of publicans shows they have suffered worse through the recession because of [it].

‘A recent select committee report shows that the higher prices tied publicans have to pay for their beer are not adequately compensated for by lower rents. It estimated that because of the discounts they can access, non-tied operators will make more money from their businesses.

‘The Government should act to reform the way the industry operates and give publicans greater freedom from the big pub companies.’

However, a spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association outlined their position on the benefits of the tie.

‘We need a thriving tied sector, as tied tenancies and leases still provide a low-cost entry into operating a pub without the capital required to buy a freehold.

‘Any look at the problems facing the industry also needs to take account of the wider picture. Since March 2008,we have seen a 35 percent increase in the tax on beer — this is a central reason why so many pubs are under pressure, as 50 percent of their wet sales are still beer.

‘Pubs are some of the most highly regulated businesses in Britain, and this is adding hugely to operating costs.’