http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/northern_ireland.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://thegovmonitor.com/world_news/britain/northern-ireland-continues-to-reduce-smoking-prevalence-25755.html http://tobacco.org/news/298205.html A review published today of the Northern Ireland Tobacco Action Plan 2003-2008 highlights achievements in reducing the prevalence of smoking in our society. Key successes are:- * Smoking prevalence has reduced amongst all key target groups as well as among the general adult population. * Introduction of the smoke-free legislation in 2007 – a major public health success, helping to protect the population from the damaging effects of tobacco smoke. * There are now over 600 smoking cessation services in a range of setting across NI, including pharmacies, GP surgeries and community centres. These services have helped nearly 65,000 set quit dates from 2005/06 – 2008/09. * The age of sale for tobacco products increased from 16 to 18 in September 2008. The Gov Monitor UK-Northern Ireland Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/baby-burned-by-cigarette-tossed-into-buggy-14704036.html http://tobacco.org/news/297737.html This is the injury suffered by a five-month-old baby boy, Caleb Bigmore, after someone carelessly tossed a burning cigarette end into his buggy. Little Caleb Bigmore was left screaming in agony after being burnt on the cheek during the incident. It happened when the baby was being pushed around in a buggy close to Belfast City Hall on Friday afternoon. His angry parents Kerrie and Biggy have called on the city council to step up litter patrols around Belfast. Belfast Telegraph UK-Northern Ireland Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8497379.stm http://tobacco.org/news/296462.html One in three people in Northern Ireland will develop cancer during their lifetime. A year-long campaign aimed at increasing prevention of the disease has been launched by the Ulster Cancer Foundation (UCF). The campaign 'Cancer can be prevented too' will educate local people on simple measures they can take to prevent cancer. About 10,700 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in Northern Ireland. Gerry McElwee of the UCF said most cancers could be prevented and by making lifestyle changes there could be a dramatic fall in cancer rates. "Research shows that around two thirds of all cancers could be prevented if we stop smoking, avoid sunburn, eat a varied diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, maintain a healthy weight and lead an active lifestyle," he said. BBC Online UK-Northern Ireland Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/Smoking-advocate-to-continue-fight.5781776.jp http://tobacco.org/news/291972.html A BANGOR man has vowed to continue his battle to overturn the smoking ban despite hitting a legal hurdle. Chris Carter, of the Smokers Rights Movement UK-Ireland, has been fighting the ban for two years after he became the first person in north Down to be issued with a penalty ticket for smoking in a public place. Mr Carter, 57, a former security employee, from Dufferin Avenue, Bangor, wants Judge Grant to state the legal reasons for dismissing his appeal against a £250 fine. But in the Appeal Court in Belfast on Friday Mr Carter, who is conducting his own case, was told that the court had not the power to compel Judge Grant to state his reasons in writing. "That power lies with the Judicial Review Court," explained the Lord Chief Justice Sir Declan Morgan. He told Mr Carter: "To ensure that you can proceed with your application we will adjourn the matter generally to enable you to take the steps you need to take." The News Letter UK-Northern Ireland Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://u.tv/News/Smoking-ban-battle-hits-hurdle/0ffbebeb-08cc-4b9b-b50a-5627e42aae48 http://tobacco.org/news/291869.html Chris Carter, of the Smokers Rights Movement UK-Ireland, has been fighting the ban for two years after he became the first person in north Down to be issued with a penalty ticket for smoking in a public place. Mr Carter, 57, a former security employee, from Dufferin Avenue, Bangor, wants Judge Grant to state the legal reasons for dismissing his appeal against a �250 fine. But in the Appeal Court in Belfast today Mr Carter, who is conducting his own case, was told that the court had not the power to compel Judge Grant to state his reasons in writing. UTV UK-Northern Ireland Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.revenue.ie/en/press/2009/pr-271009-samhna.html http://tobacco.org/news/291837.html A multi agency operation, code named ‘Samhna’, headed up by Revenue’s Customs Service, is currently underway in Greenore Port, Co Louth, and surrounding area. The operation, targeting the suspected criminal activities of an organised crime group operating both north and south of the border, involved the surveillance of a general cargo vessel M/V Anne Scan, which sailed from the Philippines on 15/09/2009 for Greenore Port, arriving at approximately 0600 hours on Monday, 26/10/2009, carrying a cargo declared as ‘animal feed’. Officers kept the vessel under surveillance, as they suspected that a large consignment of contraband cigarettes was concealed within the cargo. Following the discharge of part of the cargo from the vessel earlier this morning onto awaiting trucks, which were allowed onwards to the importer’s premises, the multi agency task force, involving Officers of Revenues Customs Service and An Garda Siochana, moved in and raided several premises in the Co. Louth area, in addition to mounting an operation on the vessel itself. A large consignment of contraband cigarettes has been confirmed, estimated to be in excess of 120m cigarettes with a retail value of about €50m and a potential revenue at risk of approximately €40m. Several persons have been arrested at various locations by the Gardai for questioning. The operation in the Republic of Ireland involved Officers of Revenue’s Customs Service, An Garda Siochana, The Criminal Assets Bureau, the Irish Naval Service and Air Corps and in Northern Ireland, Officers of HM Revenue & Customs and the PSNI. In addition the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), which was also involved, will co-ordinate the international enquiries which will form part of the follow-up investigations. It is estimated that in excess of 150 Officers from the various Agencies participated in the field in today’s operation. Revenue.ie / Irish Tax & Customes Ireland Europe Philippines UK-Northern Ireland Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/pound45m-cigarettes-haul-was-first-of-five-planned-runs-in-audacious-smuggling-scheme-14544995.html http://tobacco.org/news/291796.html The cargo ship seized with a record £45m of illegal cigarettes on board was on the first in a series of five planned voyages from the Philippines to Ireland, it can be revealed. An audacious plan to land a total of £200m of cigarettes in multiple shipments at Greenore, Co Louth, was foiled when Customs officers seized the MV Anne Scan. Nine men arrested as part of the Customs Service operation have now been released and a file is being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions, gardai said last night. Security sources said last night it was their belief the shipment was a maiden run in a planned series of up to five huge shipments from the Philippines of illegal cigarettes hidden in animal feed. “The intention of this Irish gang, with others contributing funding in return for big profits, was to move a shipment every two months, we think to flood Ireland and the UK with cheap cigarettes and make big, big money,” said one senior officer. Belfast Telegraph Ireland Philippines UK-Northern Ireland Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1029/1224257604628.html http://tobacco.org/news/291795.html ALL NINE men who were arrested in connection with the seizure of tens of millions of cigarettes in Greenore Port, Co Louth, on Tuesday have been released. A statement from the Garda Press Office last evening confirmed the release, and said a file was being prepared for the DPP. The nine men include seven Irish nationals aged between 19 and mid-40s, one Lithuanian in his 50s and one Ukrainian in his 40s. They were held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at Garda stations in counties Louth and Monaghan. Customs and Revenue officers yesterday began the painstaking task of stripping the vessel containing the haul, the MV Anne Scan, and counting what officials suspect amount to 120 million cigarettes, worth about €50 million. The ship is a general cargo vessel some 80m in length which is German-owned but was chartered from the Philippines. Irish Times newsdesk@irishtimes.com ( ELAINE KEOGH ) Ireland Philippines UK-Northern Ireland Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2009/1013/1224256498826.html http://tobacco.org/news/291726.html MORE PEOPLE continue to smoke in the Republic than in Northern Ireland, despite the earlier introduction of the smoking ban here, according to new research. The One Island - One Lifestyle? report, which compares the health of individuals living on both sides of the Border, shows the introduction of the workplace smoking ban in the Republic in 2004 has done little to reduce overall smoking rates. The study also reveals that despite having a reputation as a nation of drinkers, people in the South drink considerably less than their near neighbours. The new report was produced by the division of Population Health Sciences at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) on behalf of the Department of Health and Children. It compares and contrasts two earlier studies, the Slán 2007 survey - carried out by a research consortium involving NUI Galway, the RCSI, the ESRI, and University College Cork - and the Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey (NIHSWS 2005), conducted by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. According to the study, the success of the Republic's smoking ban has primarily been in reduced risks from passive smoking rather than in achieving a fall in overall smoking rates. Irish Times Ireland UK-Northern Ireland Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8327992.stm http://tobacco.org/news/291712.html A massive cigarette-smuggling operation by a cross-border criminal gang has been smashed. In what was described as the biggest seizure in the UK and Ireland, more than 120 million cigarettes were seized on a ship at Greenore, County Louth. About 150 law enforcement officers from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were involved in the operation. Two men from County Armagh were among nine people arrested in County Louth. The cigarettes are worth 50m euros. The ship had left the Philippines on 15 September carrying a cargo declared as animal feed. . . . HM Revenue and Customs spokesman John Whiting said the operation targeted a suspected organised crime group operating on both sides of the Irish border BBC Online Ireland Philippines UK-Northern Ireland Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/smoking-debate-sparks-new-row-14542362.html?r=RSS http://tobacco.org/news/291608.html Smokers are being told to stub it out in their OWN homes before any visit by council staff. The move by Moyle District Council is designed to protect employees from exposure to second-hand smoke. But it was slammed as "ludicrous" last night by lobby group Forest, who warned other local authorities across Northern Ireland were likely to follow suit. The smoking ban, introduced in May 2006, covers all enclosed public places as well as the workplace. But the legislation did not include any reference to extending it to people's homes. The new policy in Moyle, which covers areas including Ballycastle, Cushendun and Bushmills, stipulates: "Where council employees are required to work or visit other premises that are not entirely smoke-free, all reasonable arrangements will be made to minimise exposure to second-hand smoke. Belfast Telegraph UK-Northern Ireland Sun, 25 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8302863.stm http://tobacco.org/news/290996.html A man from Fermanagh has been sentenced to 30 months in prison over the seizure of nearly six million cigarettes at Dover docks in Kent. Border Agency officers found the haul, in a load supposed to be carrying frozen apples, on a lorry disembarking a Calais ferry on 27 August 2008. BBC Online UK-Northern Ireland Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8290882.stm http://tobacco.org/news/290749.html A driving instructor has won the right to smoke in her own car. Lynda Wright successfully challenged a fixed penalty fine issued by Armagh Council. She had been fined twice before and faced paying up to £1,000. Solicitor Oisin Toner said the fine was overturned because she was on her own in the car on a personal errand. BBC Online UK-Northern Ireland Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/ireland/nine-million-counterfeit-cigarettes-seized-in-belfast-428222.html http://tobacco.org/news/290397.html Almost nine million suspected counterfeit cigarettes were seized in Belfast today. The haul, which originated in China, would have cost the taxpayer an estimated �2m (€2.2m) in lost excise duty if it had not been intercepted, according to customs officials. The cigarettes, which carried the Regal King Size brand, were discovered in a 40ft container in the city’s docks this morning by officers from the UK Border Agency. Ireland Online UK-Northern Ireland Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8277947.stm http://tobacco.org/news/290354.html The fire broke out at Gallagher's cigarette factory in Ballymena on Sunday A three-storey high warehouse at Gallaher's cigarette factory in County Antrim has been destroyed in a fire. More than 50 firefighters and 10 appliances fought the blaze at Galgorm Road, Ballymena, on Sunday evening. The building was gutted in the blaze. No-one was injured. Peter O'Reilly from the Fire and Rescue Service, said the fire proved difficult to contain. BBC Online UK-Northern Ireland Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:00:00 GMT