David Warburton, Conservative MP for Somerton and Frome, today delivered a petition from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) to Number 10, Downing Street urging the Government to reject an EU proposal to impose a new tax on small cider producers.
The petition, with more than 26,000 signatures, calls on the Government to support the cider sector by rejecting an EU demand that a new tax of up to £2,700 is imposed on very small cider producers - those who make under £10,000 worth of sales a year. Currently, small cider producers making less than 70 HL (hectolitres) of cider per year, or 33 pints a day, are exempt from paying excise duty under UK law.
David Warburton MP said, “Somerset is undoubtedly the cider capital of the world, defined by this uniquely English tipple which is often produced by local micro-breweries. The current exemption from tax for our small-scale cider producers in a key factor in helping promote the growth and prosperity of this modest but vibrant industry.
“Countless micro-breweries in Somerset would be affected by the proposed action from the EU, making small-scale production uneconomical and leading to wide-spread closures of our successful local cider-producing businesses. This simply cannot be allowed to happen.”
Tom Stainer, Head of Communications for CAMRA added, “The majority of real cider comes from small scale producers and has long been part of rural tradition and culture. The proposed action by the European Union is wholly disproportionate, given that a small producer selling 30 pints a day has no capacity to affect EU trade to any meaningful degree. If these producers are driven out of business it will dramatically reduce consumer choice and cause irreparable damage to one of the nation's most historic industries, so important to Somerset."
The petition, which is also supported by many of the South West’s MEPs, was handed over to No.10 Downing Street by David Warburton MP and Andrea Briers from CAMRA.