The expert opposed the creation of a registry of beer retailers in Russia

The creation of a register of beer retailers, which is being discussed in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, is unlikely to save the beer market from illegal products. This opinion was expressed to RB.RU by Dmitry Terentyev, managing partner of the Alcohol Law firm.

“The register, apart from the place of sale of beer products, contains nothing else. It will be like with the register of beer producers – first we gathered everyone there and now we are cleaning up this register. There are many actions, but little sense,” the expert believes.

Terentyev noted that the registration of product manufacturers will be “a drop in the ocean” compared to the registration of retailers in terms of the number of participants, which will likely have to include hundreds of thousands of participants.

The expert believes that licenses should be introduced for all beer sellers, but with concessions for those who do not sell strong alcohol. For example, allowing individual entrepreneurs to obtain a license to sell beer and market it with an authorized capital of 10 thousand rubles. The lawyer also proposes allowing beer sellers to have neither a fixed retail establishment nor a registered lease. According to Terentyev, a state fee of 65,000 rubles per year for a license will help eliminate unscrupulous participants in the market.

In addition, deprivation of a license will prohibit the sale of beer products, and the fine for operating without it will be 500 thousand rubles.

“All these mechanisms are not difficult to implement; they are already in our legislation. All that is needed is to refine the standards a little. Therefore, I believe that licensing the retail sale of beer products is a more effective mechanism for controlling the legality of beer products than a register of sellers of products,” the expert concluded.

The introduction of a register of beer sellers began to be discussed at different levels after mass poisonings with substitute products, in particular “Master Cider”. According to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the introduction of the registry has already been supported by Rosalkogoltabakcontrol and the Association of Beer Producers.

A register of producers of beer and other low-alcohol beverages has been in operation in Russia since September 2023. As of June 10, 2024, Rosalkogoltabakcontrol has requested the exclusion of about thirty brewers from the register due to the lack of long-term lease agreements for premises and problems with technological equipment.