Make it the Minimum hits 1,000 mark
More than 1,000 people have now added their names to The Publican's Make it the Minimum campaign - designed to bring an end to irresponsible off-trade deals.
The campaign aims to encourage the government to introduce a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol and to highlight the cheap prices of booze in supermarkets.
While a 50p minimum would force many off-trade premises to raise their prices, the majority of pubs would be unaffected as they already sell alcohol at a responsible price.
The campaign has attracted support from across the trade with hundreds of licensees signing up alongside groups such as CAMRA, the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations, the Society of Independent Brewers and late-night operator trade group Noctis.
Meanwhile, the Scottish government looks set to introduce a minimum price next year and Welsh Assembly ministers have said the case for a minimum price is now "overwhelming".
Jonathan Mail, CAMRA's head of policy and public affairs, said: "The use of alcohol as a loss leader in the off-trade is encouraging a shift in alcohol consumption away from well-run community pubs.
"If the supermarkets will not voluntarily cease selling below-cost then the government will need to introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol to prevent the use of alcohol as a loss leader and protect the nation's well-run community pubs from unfair competition.
"CAMRA supports The Publican's call to end loss-leading in the off trade and congratulate them for the high level of support their initiative has received."
Licensee Mark Daniels, of the Tharp Arms in Chippenham, Cambridgeshire, recently added his name to the online petition.
He said: "There is too much disparity between the off-trade and the on-trade.
"I firmly believe that an awful lot of alcohol-related problems start in the off-trade and pubs have to pick up the pieces later on.
"I back Make it the Minimum and think it is a fair way of stopping deliberate loss-leading to get people through the doors."
Add your name to our online petition before it is officially submitted to Number 10 on October 21.
All petitions with more than 500 signatures receive a response from the government.
