France's "Dry January" project unlikely to see the light of day in 2020

In recent days, one operation has been the subject of heated debate: the "Alcohol-free January" plan. Inspired by England's "Dry January", the campaign was due to run for one month, in January 2020, and was launched by the Santé publique France health agency (which reports to the Minister of Health). Although associations and addictologists were delighted, no official announcement was made by the government. For wine professionals, this initiative was not at all good news, as they are already facing other worrying events. But for the time being, it would appear that the government is not in favor of this "alcohol-free month". During a visit to Champagne In mid-November, French President Emmanuel Macron told wine industry representatives that "there will be no dry January".

A worrying campaign for the wine industry

In England, "Dry January" was introduced in 2013 by the Alcohol Change association. Its aim is simple: to stop - or at least reduce - alcohol consumption for the whole month of January. And over the years, this operation has grown in popularity. The Santé publique France agency wanted to draw inspiration from it, and a project was in preparation. Normally, it should have been unveiled before the end of the year. But for the wine industry, the campaign raised concerns that came on top of those caused by the Brexit and the US tariff hike on French wines. They therefore voiced their fears to the government and, in particular, to the President of the Republic when he was in Champagne. And they have, a priori, been heard, since this "Dry January" is not expected to take place in 2020.

The reasons for the cancellation of this operation, which does not discourage associations

The abandonment of this campaign did not go unnoticed. Anti-alcohol associations and addictologists accused the Ministry of Health of abandoning the project due to pressure from the wine lobby and winegrowers. These accusations forced Agnès Buzyn to react. On Thursday November 21, 2019, she told Franceinfo that this "Month without Alcohol" had "not been validated by the Ministry of Health". She also pointed out that "we have an interministerial committee dedicated to health prevention in February, and that's when prevention programs are validated by the government". Does this confirm that the operation has been abandoned? In the meantime, as the organization of a government-backed "Dry January" 2020 is unlikely, the associations are hoping to mobilize civil society to encourage consumers to take part in this French version of "Dry January" all the same.