€40m in keg theft since 2007

Over 400,000 beer and cider kegs have been stolen from licensed premises around the country since 2007 and the Irish Brewers Association has renewed appeals to everyone involved in the on-trade to remain vigilant for keg theft.

The cost of replacing a keg is approximately €100 meaning that the cost of replacing all stolen and missing kegs since 2007 has cost about €40 million according to IBA Senior Executive Thomas Burke.

“Metal theft has emerged as a worrying issue since 2007, costing the Irish Economy millions of €uro every year,” he commented, “For every keg stolen the cost of providing beer and cider to publicans in this country increases and damages the profitability of breweries. We believe that it is in our shared interest to protect our industry from keg theft.

“For the brewing sector, keg theft continues to be a serious problem and is hindering our ability to meet customer requirements by creating unsustainable losses.  

“With this in mind we would like to prompt all operators of licensed trade establishments in Ireland to remain vigilant of possible keg thefts and to report incidents of stolen kegs or suspicious activity in relation to kegs to local Gardai.”

The Irish Brewers Association is working closely with An Garda Síochána in producing a series of proposed measures with the Garda Metal Forum aimed at reducing the issue of keg theft. Already, a number of criminal and civil cases have been undertaken against individuals for keg theft.

The IBA hopes that increased vigilance among licensees combined with a series of workable measures can reduce keg theft and ultimately ensure that empty kegs are safely returned to suppliers.

“This will create a more sustainable position for the industry, allowing us to meet the needs of our customers,” concluded Thomas Burke.