From today (Thursday 1 October) the minimum price of a unit of alcohol will increase in Wales from 50p to 65p in a move which is expected to save hundreds of lives.
The minimum unit price for alcohol (MUP) is designed to tackle alcohol-related harm, including hospital admissions and deaths, by reducing alcohol consumption among hazardous and harmful drinkers.
Experts believe the move coming into force today could prevent more than 900 alcohol-related deaths and help nearly 5,000 people cut down on harmful drinking in Wales over the next 20 years.
Wales will now charge the same minimum price as Scotland.
As part of independent evaluations in January 2025, the Operation and Effect Report in June 2025 and subsequent consultation on the continuation and increase of the minimum price it was evidenced that the 50p rate has been impacted by inflation and reduced its value in real terms to 39p in 2020 prices. Raising the MUP to 65p helps fix this.
Shops, Trading Standards and support services have received new guidance ahead of today’s change.
Minimum Unit Pricing is one of several actions the Welsh Government takes to help tackle inequality and improve health outcomes. It invests over £68 million to help people affected by alcohol and drug use, including more than £41 million that goes directly to local support services across Wales.
Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health, Nerys Evans said: “Every one of the hundreds of lives this change could save is someone’s parent, partner or child. That’s why this matters.
“Evidence shows that the introduction of the minimum unit price for alcohol has made an important contribution in tackling the health risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption.
“But we also know that that the 50p minimum price has been made less effective by inflation, so raising it to 65p is not about punishing people who drink responsibly, it’s about closing that gap and making sure the MUP keeps doing its job by keeping high strength low-cost alcohol off the shelves.”
Director for Wales at the charity Alcohol Change UK, Andrew Misell said: “Minimum unit pricing targets the strongest cheapest drinks, that often cause the greatest harm.
“This new 65p minimum unit price will keep big bottles of super-strength cider off the shelves, and also make it more difficult for supermarkets to offer bulk discounts, where alcoholic drinks get cheaper the more you buy. And all this without pushing up the price of a pint in pubs.”
