Make mine a pint
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Wednesday December 17 2008
Ireland's drinkers were raising their glasses to Europe last night after bureaucrats called time on scrapping the much-loved pint.
The European parliament voted to extend the use of the pint in Ireland and the UK indefinitely, so pubs can keep serving the most popular measure of the Black Stuff.
Last month, curvy cucumbers and knobbly carrots made a welcome return to the supermarket shelves when EU rules dictating the shape and size of 36 varieties of produce were wiped out. Yesterday's ruling in Strasbourg covers pints of milk in returnable bottles and beer and cider on draught.
Padraig Cribben, of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, said the pint has always had a unique significance to the Irish customer.
"It would be difficult to imagine it not being used here,'' said Mr Cribben, who represents 5,000 publicans. "While we are proud to be a part of the European family, this is something we had to keep for ourselves."
Although Ireland has already switched to kilometres, the Euro-MPs' decision approves the use of miles for speed indications, road distances and signs in the UK.
EU enterprise and industry commissioner Gunter Verheugen welcomed the agreement.
"This is good news for people in Ireland and the UK as current practices will remain in place,'' he said. "The agreement will also ensure imperial measurements can be indicated alongside metric -- a measure that will lower costs for industry by allowing the same labelling for all their exports, whether in the EU or elsewhere in the world.''
