The British government should do more to "support the efforts of the UK brewing industry and to promote awareness of Britain's national drink and its major contribution to the UK economy". That is the call of an Early Day Motion put forward by Janet Dean, MP for Burton-on-Trent in the heartland of Britan's brewing business, and signed by 56 Members of Parliament, The Publican writes. Britain's 33 independent family brewers and Coors Brewers also back the campaign.

Ms Dean points out that Britain's 107,000 brewery workers and innumerable farmers supplying malting barley are seeing their jobs at risk by the soaring trend among drinkers to prefer wine, a fact that has already sent Britain's beer consumption down by 2bn pints per year during the last 20 years.
The motion calls for the government to stimulate domestic beer consumption as well as exports, and introduce government support for beer makers that correspond to the state aid wine makers on the Continent receive.

27 February, 2003