Overview of the different labeling and marking requirements, including any restrictive advertising or labeling practices and where to get more information.
Last Published: 8/6/2019

Manufacturers should be mindful that, in addition to the EU’s mandatory and voluntary schemes, national voluntary labeling schemes might still apply. These schemes may be highly appreciated by consumers, and thus, become unavoidable for marketing purposes. In Ireland, with only minor exceptions, there are no general requirements for marking imported goods with the country of origin.  Certain food products must show particulars of place of origin, where its absence might mislead the consumer.  

•    Requirements for specific products should be obtained from the Irish importer.  

•    The import, export, or transit of non-Irish goods with markings that would lead one to believe that the goods are of Irish manufacture or origin is prohibited.  

•    False or misleading trademarks, product descriptions, and other deceptive indications are also prohibited.  Goods may not be imported with marks suggestive of Irish origin unless they bear an indication of their true origin.

•    There are no regulations for the marking of shipping packages.  Proper shipping practice dictates that packages should bear the consignee's mark and be numbered unless the shipment is such that the content of the packages can be readily identified without numbers.  

•    Packaged foods must carry labels that conform to Irish labeling requirements.  The information shown on the label is designed to provide the consumer with adequate details about the products including details on ingredients, net weight, "best before" date, "use by" date, and general usage instructions.  

•    In relation to “best before” and “use by” dates, U.S. exporters should note that in Ireland dates are written in the following sequence: date, month, and year.  For example:  November 30, 2016 can be written as 30 Nov 16, 30-11-16, or 30/11/16.  

Irish labeling requirements are broadly similar to those used elsewhere in the EU, except that the Irish authorities require that the name and the EU address of the manufacturer, distributor, or packer also appear on the label.  Manufacturers should be mindful that, in addition to the EU’s mandatory and voluntary schemes, national voluntary labeling schemes might still apply.  These schemes may be highly appreciated by consumers, and thus, become unavoidable for marketing purposes.  

One new exception is Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2018 that was signed into law on October 17, 2018.  This Bill contains a range of provisions, including minimum unit pricing of alcohol products; health labeling of alcohol products; regulation of advertising and sponsorship; structural separation of alcohol products in mixed trading outlets; and the regulation of the sale and supply of alcohol in certain circumstances.  The measures, which diverge from EU-wide requirements, have the potential to generate additional administrative costs and detrimentally impact the ability of U.S. exporters to reallocate product in the European market.  In particular, the new requirement that alcohol labels contain cancer warnings, health warnings and pregnancy warning will impact all alcohol exports to Ireland.  (Note: these proposals do require additional secondary legislation and EU approval before implementation.)

Manufacturers are advised to take note that all labels require metric units although dual labeling remains acceptable.  The use of language on labels has been the subject of a Commission Communication, which encourages multilingual information, while preserving the freedom of Member States to require the use of language of the country of consumption.

An overview of EU mandatory and voluntary labeling and marking requirements has been compiled in the European Union Country Commercial Guide.
 

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.