Forest Eireann
Encyclopedia
Forest Eireann is an Irish lobby group that claims to speak on behalf of smokers. It aims to replicate the activities of its parent group, FOREST
, in the UK, an organisation that gets 96% of its funding from the tobacco industry, including Gallaher PLC. In September 2010 Forest Eireann attracted its first news headlines by publishing a report claiming that the ban on indoor smoking in pubs has been the been cause of a decline in trade experienced by Irish pubs, and calling for the ban to be relaxed.
The parent organisation has been characterised by academic sources as a front group, as it was organised and funded by the tobacco industry
and has generated little grassroots
interest. According to internal memos, the tobacco industry designed FOREST to be controlled "through a third party, so that there would be no direct contact between tobacco company personnel or TAC and the director."
FOREST
FOREST is a United Kingdom political pressure group that campaigns from a pro-smoking perspective, opposing measures to reduce tobacco consumption on the grounds of defending a perceived right to smoke tobacco...
, in the UK, an organisation that gets 96% of its funding from the tobacco industry, including Gallaher PLC. In September 2010 Forest Eireann attracted its first news headlines by publishing a report claiming that the ban on indoor smoking in pubs has been the been cause of a decline in trade experienced by Irish pubs, and calling for the ban to be relaxed.
The parent organisation has been characterised by academic sources as a front group, as it was organised and funded by the tobacco industry
Tobacco industry
The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. It is a global industry; tobacco can grow in any warm, moist environment, which means it can be farmed on all...
and has generated little grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
interest. According to internal memos, the tobacco industry designed FOREST to be controlled "through a third party, so that there would be no direct contact between tobacco company personnel or TAC and the director."