Where are they coming from?

There has been much talk about "traceability" recently. This means being able to tell where a bottle of alcohol has come from.

Obviously, in terms of spirits, there is an important issue with regard to duty payable and determining where a genuine product originates. Duty stamps are now clearly visible on all spirits bottles, except those languishing in a corner of the back bar, which have remained in situ for the past 10 years.

But now there is more interest in trying to identify the place where the drink was bought. In some areas of the country, there have been informal arrangements that have enabled the authorities to trace the origin of drinks to the store or supermarket where they were

purchased.

So far, the idea has not been forced on the licensed trade. But that does not mean to say it won't happen. There are those who think it would be a good idea if every purchase of alcohol was identified with a mark or code of the premises that sold it.

Apart from the fact that it would be extremely expensive and time-consuming for the licensee to arrange for this to be done, the whole idea is fraught with several legal problems.

First of all, it would not be possible for the police, finding someone drunk in the street, to infer from the possession of one of your bottles that you sold it to them when they were drunk.

Similarly, if a youngster under 18 was picked up carrying alcohol, the stamp or mark would not be prima facie evidence that they had bought it direct from you. It could well have passed through other hands first.

Clearly, this problem is likely to affect the off-trade first, because it will be supermarkets, in the main, who will be targeted for selling to underage drinkers. But while there will be strong resistance to universal adoption of such a scheme, do not think that the Department of Health and the Home Office are going to let up in their campaign against the licensed trade. They have the bit firmly between their teeth, ably assisted by the new anti-alcohol lobby.

The technology exists to make traceability a complete reality for a number of products. The time will come when every bottle can be "chipped", rather like the tracking system used for parcels and consignments nowadays.

Remember, you read it here first.