The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), which represents the Scotch whiskey industry, is to appeal against the Scotland Court of Session for rejecting their petition to review the Scotland government’s plan to introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol in the country.
According to Scotland Supreme Court Judge Lord Doherty, the proposed MUP at 50p per unit of alcohol is within the legislative competence of Scottish Parliament and the MUP plans will not break the Acts of Union and match with European Union law.
Following the court decision, SWA along with other trade bodies like Spirits Europe and the Comite Europeen Des Enterprises, Vins (CEEV) has decided to challange the court decision.
SWA chief executive Gavin Hewitt said they were disappointed with the rejection of their petition.
"We are surprised at the ruling in light of 30 years of European case law on minimum unit pricing (MUP). We will be appealing against this decision and we remain confident of our position," Hewitt added.
"The view from Europe is very different to that expressed by the court and we are not alone in having concerns about the legality of MUP.
"The European Commission and more than 10 member states have expressed their concerns that MUP contravenes European Union trading rules and their opposition to the Scottish proposals."
