C&C Group resigns from Portman Group in UK

The C&C Group plc, maker of brands Bulmers, Magners, Blackthorn and Tennent’s, has confirmed its resignation from the Portman Group in the UK, the equivalent of MEAS here, for which it gave notice a year ago.

Commenting on the move, Paul Bartlett, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at C&C, explained, “We informed the Portman Group last year that we planned to resign in order to focus our resources on a strategy of investing in community projects rather than industry lobbying. Since then we’ve launched our Help for Heroes beer, announced an investment of £1 million in UK orchards and taken on the distribution of One Water in Scotland. These are very worthwhile projects that aim to put something back into the communities in which we operate.

“We remain passionate about the rights of adults to enjoy alcohol responsibly and our credentials in this area over a long period of time are very strong. We support Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland and across the island of Ireland because, as a local company, we understand the needs of the communities in which we play a part.”

However Paul Bartlett concluded, “Sadly the  with an agenda at odds with our colleagues in the wider UK industry. On this basis we feel it’s time to leave.”