Imperial Tobacco targets pubs and bars in Liverpool

Febraury 10, 2005 - PRESS RELEASE

Smokefree campaigners in Liverpool have accused one of the largest tobacco companies of trying to scare publicans in the city.

Imperial Tobacco, the fourth largest tobacco company in the world, has been canvassing pubs in Liverpool with a leaflet entitled 'Smoking in Public Places' in a bid to sway pubs away from supporting smokefree legislation.

The leaflet warns of dire economic consequences if pubs and bars become smokefree, quoting unreferenced evidence from Ireland and New York. The leaflet argues that voluntary self-regulation is working and claim that over half pubs now have a non-smoking area.

Liverpool could be the first City in Britain to have its own Local Act of Parliament. This would make Liverpool a Smokefree City by spring 2006.

Whilst Northwest ASH congratulates Imperial Tobacco for the recognition in their leaflet of the need to protect people from second hand smoke, non-smoking areas will leave non-smoking staff and customers unprotected.

Richard Edwards, Chair of North West ASH, commented: "Only if workplaces like pubs are totally smokefree will the health of the bar staff who work in them and non smoking customers be safeguarded. Research from pubs in the northwest has shown that partial smokefree areas are ineffective."

In the Imperial Tobacco leaflet, figures about the effects on trade are unreferenced, but actually come from estimates by a selected group of Dublin publicans rather than hard economic data (http://www.lva.ie/easyedit/ files/09July04.doc). The actual evidence from high quality research studies and from New York, California and elsewhere is of neutral or slightly positive economic effects of smoke-free legislation in the hospitality trade.

Economic data from Ireland contradicts Imperial Tobacco's claims. For example, official statistics show that bar sales in Ireland have been in long term decline since a peak in 2001, due to high prices and changing lifestyles. During equivalent periods (May-Nov 2003 and 2004) the decline in bar sales fell from 5.3% before to 4.9% after the smokefree legislation introduced in April 2004 (http://www.cso.ie/publications/distrib/rsi_retrospective.xls). Figures on employment of bar staff from Fas the national employment agency show an increase of 600 in the third quarter (July-Sept) of 2004, the first increase in a year.

Public Affairs manager of ASH Ian Wilmore said, 'We welcome the tobacco industry's open lobby to prevent smokefree legislation instead of using front organisations. Public opinion in Liverpool is overwhelmingly supportive, with 71% of residents including 45% of smokers supporting smokefree legislation which includes pubs & clubs.1 Across the North West studies have consistently shown the vast majority of people would support comprehensive restrictions on smoking within the workplace."

Health@Work an independent organisation working in Liverpool on health and safety issues agree that the leaflet was designed to confuse and scare managers or owners of pubs and bars.

And Andy Hull, Chair of SmokeFree Liverpool, said: "These are obviously worrying times for Imperial Tobacco as smokefree legislation is a highly effective way of helping people to stop smoking. The research shows that the conclusions they draw are incorrect."

The company has 45% of the UK market with brands such as Lambert & Butler and Richmond. Based on their market share it can be estimated that Imperial Tobacco causes over 50,000 deaths 2 of the 114,000 deaths caused annually by tobacco through lung cancer and other smoking-related diseases in the UK.

[1] Survey of Residents' attitudes to second hand smoke in Liverpool (Jon Dawson & Sophia Christakopoulou December 2004)

2 Figures based on statistics from Imperial Tobacco's website of 45% share in the market

Please visit www.smokefreenorthwest.co.uk for information about your nearest Smokefree bars, restaurant, cafes and hotels.