Member

I should add that I am not aware of any current surveillance or enforcement issues relating to the identification of handmade cigars, nor of any concerns regarding illicit trade in this category under the existing regulatory framework. Therefore, I do not see why the continuation of processes already in place would be an issue or require additional resources or training. I do agree that trading standards officers require clear and objective definitions that can be applied quickly during inspections; but that clarity already exists. Introducing plain packaging would not improve enforceability and may, in fact, complicate it. The proposed definition of a handmade cigar is not subjective; it is highly specific and technical. Trading standards and HMRC already distinguish between cigars, cigarillos, hand-rolling tobacco, pipe tobacco and cigarettes for excise and enforcement purposes. Those distinctions are routinely applied in relation to taxation, illicit trade investigations and packaging compliance. An exemption for handmade cigars would not, therefore, create a new product category. It would simply reference existing statutory definitions that officers already use.