Under Regulation (EC) 110/2008 my Department submitted technical files, developed with industry bodies for the Irish Cream, Irish Poitín and Irish Whiskey geographical indications, to the European Commission by 15 February 2015 as required.
A tailored verification scheme has been put in place to check that these spirit drinks adhere to the production standards in the technical files. The verifications are carried out by Department Dairy Inspectors in respect of Irish Cream and by the Revenue Commissioners in respect of Irish Poitín and Irish Whiskey. Following discussions with the Revenue Commissioners and industry it was decided in 2015 that three annual inspections would take place, commencing in 2016, to ensure that all distilleries remained familiar and complied with the requirements of the technical files, and that an evaluation of the process including the appropriate level of fees would subsequently be undertaken.
Charges for inspections are a legal requirement under Article 22.1 of Regulation (EC) 110/2008. The current charges were set following discussions with the Revenue Commissioners and within the Department on the resources deployed in carrying out the verification process, which is common to all distilleries.
The verification system provides important support for the reputation and protection of Irish Whiskey, Irish Cream and Irish Poitín. The recent growth in Irish Whiskey exports has enabled us to begin the re-establishment of the Irish Whiskey industry to its former pre-eminent position, generating exports, employment and impact on the rural economy where many of the new distilleries are located.
