The Portman Group to stop issuing Proof of Age Cards.
18 year-olds will no longer be able to get the Portman Group's Proof of Age Card from the end of September, but cards already in use remain valid and will still be accepted as ID by retailers.
The move has been prompted by falling demand for the card caused by the emergence of other cards, which are also recognised by the national Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS).
David Poley, chief executive of the Portman Group, the social responsibility body for drinks producers, said: "It is important to stress that retailers should continue to accept existing cards as a valid form of ID. We can now concentrate on raising standards of drinks producer activity."
Robert Humphreys, chairman of the PASS Board, responsible for the national Proof of Age Standards Scheme, said: "The Portman Group has led the way in proof of age in the UK, helping young people to enjoy their legal entitlements and the trade and enforcement community to be entirely confident in the cards they have issued.
It has been a model of good practice and the PASS Board acknowledges its important contribution. Any card bearing the PASS hologram is reliable and should be accepted as genuine, and the standards applied within the PASS scheme were largely developed by Portman as pathfinder."