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The Republic of Ireland is set to become the first country in the world to introduce health warning labels on alcohol products.

On Monday, Stephen Donnelly, the Irish minister for health, signed new regulations into law that will see labels placed on beverages such as drinking alcohol causes liver disease, harms the unborn baby, and is directly linked to fatal cancers.

The minister said that the new law is designed to give all consumers a better understanding of the alcohol content and health risks associated with consuming alcohol.

But not everyone is happy. Cormac Healy is Director of Drinks Ireland the country's main lobbying group for brewers, distillers and distributors. He told Newsday: 鈥淚t鈥檚 inappropriate for Ireland to go on a solo run.鈥� A sentiment shared by Ir猫ne Tolleret, a French MEP with Renew Europe a liberal party and co-chair of the parliamentary intergroup on Wine, Spirits and Quality Foodstuffs. She told Newsday: 鈥淚t will be a hindrance for the common market鈥�the response to excess drinking is not labelling鈥�if there was a magic label, I can tell you it would already be on all the bottles of spirit in the world.鈥�

(Picture: Shows a close-up shot of a woman choosing a bottle of champagne from a shelf in a supermarket. Credit: Getty Images.)

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