New reforms to the UK wine industry will stimulate investment, growth and jobs, Food and Drink Minister Mark Spencer announced today.
Following a public consultation entitled 'Wine: reforms to retain EU law', the government has set out reforms to the wine sector that will begin in 2024 and will take advantage of our freedoms outside the EU. These reforms are made possible by powers in the Retained EU Act which are being used to deregulate our economy while ensuring our high standards are not compromised.
Feedback from the wine industry showed that some regulations within the current 400-page rule book were stifling innovation and preventing the introduction of more efficient and sustainable practices.
The changes will include removing expensive and onerous packaging requirements – such as ending the mandatory requirement that some sparkling wines must have foil caps and mushroom-shaped stoppers. This will reduce waste and unnecessary packaging costs for businesses. Old rules regarding bottle shapes will also be abolished, allowing producers to use different shapes.
The government will also remove the requirement for imported wine to have an importing address on the label – and the Food Business Operator (FBO) responsible for ensuring all legal requirements are met will still need to be specified on the label, as is the case with standard requirements for food products. This would create more frictionless trade and reduce administrative burdens.
Additional reforms will also give producers more freedom to use hybrid grape varieties. This will enable growers to choose the variety that suits them best and reduce the loss of vines to disease or climate change, while providing greater choice for consumers.
Food and Drink Minister Mark Spencer said:
We have a diverse and dynamic wine sector here in the UK – but our producers and traders have long been left behind by red tape inherited from the EU.
The reforms we announced today eliminate outdated and burdensome rules so our wineries, vineyards and merchants can continue to innovate and help grow our economy.
Miles Bell, CEO of the UK Wine and Spirits Trade Association, said:
We welcome the measures announced by the Government today, many of which the WSTA has been calling for for several years.
Removing the restrictive rules around importer marking will significantly reduce the post-Brexit impact of having to obtain a unique UK mark. The move to food business operator labeling should allow a single common label for both the UK and EU markets, which will maintain the UK as an attractive destination market and support our aim of UK consumers continuing to have access to the widest possible choice of wines from all over the world. around the world .
While companies are doing everything they can to reduce packaging waste, changes to packaging rules will benefit companies, the environment and consumers.
Ned Ottey, Director and Interim CEO of Wines of Great Britain, said:
Sustainability and innovation are at the heart of our local wine industry, and WineGB welcomes any measures that support these values.
We also look forward to any future legislative changes that will help Britain's fastest growing agricultural sector to thrive.
In addition to the UK's position as a global wine trade centre, England and Wales has a thriving and rapidly growing domestic wine industry which has seen a 74% growth in the area under vines in the past five years. These reforms will modernize regulations and encourage investment in all areas of the wine sector, from the local wine trade to our thriving vineyards and wineries.
Consultation Response, Wine: Reforms to retained EU law can be read in full at gov.uk.(https://www.gov.uk/Government/consultations/wine-reforms-to-retained-eu-law)
More information
The repairs will include the following:
Foil Wraps and Mushroom Stoppers – Ending the mandatory use of mushroom-shaped stoppers and foil wraps on sparkling wine, reducing unnecessary waste and packaging costs for consumers. Bottle Shape Rules – Ending outdated protectionist rules on bottle shapes giving producers the freedom to use bottle shapes they could not previously use in winemaking. Importer Labeling – Ending the requirement that imported wines have an importer’s name on the label, leading to more frictionless trade and reduced administrative burdens. This means that only the Food Business Operator (FBO) responsible for nutritional information will need to identify it on the packaging. Hybrid Grape Varieties – Gives producers the option to apply for protection of appellations of origin and geographical indications for wines produced using hybrid grape varieties. This will increase their resilience to climate change and disease and provide greater choice to consumers. Wine Blending – Ending the ban on blending (coupage) of imported wines. Blending is a common practice throughout the world and will provide scope for developing a wider range of wines while expanding consumer choices. Piquet – Allowing producers to make and market Piquet (a lower-alcohol beverage produced by rinsing the byproducts of wine production, including grape skins and stems, with water and fermenting the rinses). This will open up new sources of income for wine producers and help meet the demand for lower alcohol beverages.
Notes to editors
The UK wine market was worth more than £10 billion in 2022 from on-trade and on-trade sales, and the UK's developing domestic production sector has attracted significant global investment. The UK is a global wine hub. It is home to a diverse and dynamic wine sector and is the world's second largest wine importer by value. In 2022, off-trade sales of still, sparkling and fortified wines across supermarkets, convenience stores and specialist off-trade licenses in the UK were worth around £7.6 billion, while on-trade sales through hospitality outlets were worth an estimated £3.5 billion. . one billion. In comparison, the local winemaking sector in England and Wales is very small, but it is growing rapidly and gaining a global reputation for quality. Production reports for 2022 show a 36% increase in production. The area planted with vines witnessed a growth of 74% between 2017 and 2022 (from 2,257 hectares to 3,928 hectares).
