FOR YOUR INFORMATION
We share below a number of recent developments. As always, we rely on FIVS Members to apprise us of noteworthy matters. Please contact the FIVS Secretariat with items that may be of interest.
Trade
European Union/United Kingdom: Post-Brexit fine wine shipping – Regulations governing the trade of fine wine changed significantly on 01 January 2021. In 2020, approximately 200 pages of documentation were required to move an average shipment of fine wine from the United Kingdom to Europe, but now about 800 pages are required. The transportation of goods has also become more expensive, requiring, for example, producers to ship goods in fumigated and treated stamped wood pallets. Under new VAT rules, taxes must now be paid in full at the port of entry before goods are released, a cash flow risk for smaller businesses. Meanwhile, European and UK businesses remain preoccupied with lobbying against the introduction of new wine import certificates to replace the VI-1 forms, which has been delayed until 01 January 2022 but remains a real threat.
European Union/United Kingdom/United States: American whiskey tariffs – On 05 April 2021, approximately fifty members of the U.S. Congress reportedly urged the U.S. Trade Representative to seek removal of the 25% tariffs on American whiskey imposed in 2018 by the European Union and Britain in retaliation for U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum. American whiskey exports to the European Union have since fallen by 37% and to the United Kingdom by 53%, and the tariffs are scheduled to double to 50% on 01 June 2021. On 22 March 2021, the U.S. Trade Representative discussed global steel and aluminum overcapacity with her EU and UK counterparts, but the Biden administration is reportedly facing pressure from U.S. steelmakers and their unions to maintain the steel tariffs.
World Trade Organisation: Global trade in food concerns – During a meeting of the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures on 25-26 March 2021, over 230 delegates discussed a possible SPS Declaration for the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference which will be held in Geneva at the end of 2021. They emphasised the timeliness of taking stock of the evolving nature of the global agriculture landscape since 1995, particularly those new opportunities and pressures relating to international trade in food, animals, and plants, including adapting to population growth, climate change, and technological innovation. They underlined the need to reinforce the message that trade in food must be compatible with sustainable development norms.
Studies
Alcohol consumption and risk of stomach cancer – An article in Chemico-Biological Interactions concludes that alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of stomach cancer. The analysis claims to show a trend that a higher daily intake of alcohol is associated with a higher risk of stomach cancer. The alcohol and stomach cancer relationship varied by geographic locations; those inconsistencies were attributed to smoking rates, Helicobacter pylori infection, obesity, and potential genetic susceptibility. Eighty-one epidemiology studies, including 68 case-control studies and 13 cohort studies, were included in this study.
Digital media use and alcohol consumption by adolescents – An article in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research examined the association of digital media use frequency with alcohol use by adolescents, as well as whether linkages were moderated by gender and race/ethnicity. The study included 2,473 adolescents from Los Angeles, who were surveyed every six months through the end of high school. The study concluded that digital media use frequency was modestly associated with an increased risk of alcohol use in adolescence, but that additional research is required.
Moderate wine consumption may protect against cataracts – New research published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology reportedly shows that individuals who consumed alcohol moderately appeared to be less likely to develop cataracts that require surgery. However, people who drank daily or nearly daily apparently had about a 6% higher risk of cataract surgery compared with people who consumed alcohol moderately. Wine consumption showed the strongest protective effect, compared with consumption of beer and spirits. The study was the largest of its kind, tracking 490,000 volunteers in the United Kingdom. Previous studies on cataracts and alcohol consumption were limited in their design and offered mixed results, ranging from an increased risk from heavy drinking, to a reduced risk from low to moderate drinking, to no link at all between alcohol and cataracts.
Underage drinking falls in Europe – The latest analysis of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) prepared by spiritsEUROPE reportedly found that alcohol consumption among school students throughout the EU in 2019 was the lowest since 2003. The survey found notable differences between countries, however, noting that a one-size-fits-all approach should not be used to address the issue of underage drinking throughout Europe. The ESPAD survey collected anonymous responses from 100,000 students across 35 European countries in the spring and autumn of 2019.
California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance: New website launched – The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA) has launched a new website dedicated to the Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing program at californiasustainablewine.com. Developed for the trade, media, consumers, and visitors who want to find sustainable wines, wineries, and vineyards that are certified with a rigorous third-party audit, the website also illustrates how sustainable vineyards and wineries are making wine in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
NOTE: We make no warranty of any kind regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information in these FIVS Alerts; nor do we necessarily support or agree with views expressed or contained therein.