On Friday, Italy’s Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Minister Francesco Lollobrigida condemned what he called “lies” in a series of proposed Irish health warnings to be displayed on on wine, beer and spirits bottles.

Italy has said it will launch an appeal to the European Commission against the introduction of the labels, which warn that alcohol harms the liver and is linked to cancer, and ask the EC to put the case to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

The cigarette-like warnings were tacitly given the go-ahead after the EC failed to block them.

"Lies seriously damage your health," said Lollobrigida, grand-nephew of screen diva Gina Lollobrigida, at a Brescia forum against ‘frankenfood’.

"We will support, in every way, not only actions of defence against the aggression of bogus labels, but we will also make all promotional actions to explain at all levels what the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet are, in its complexity, and our nation's products," he said.

On Thursday Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Ireland's plan to introduce health warnings on wine, beer and spirits like those on cigarettes was "absurd", echoing protests from Italian wine producers.

"Ireland's decision to introduce a (health warning) label on all alcoholic beverages, including Italian wine, is absurd," the minister tweeted.

Tajani said that the decision had been made against the opposition of the European Parliament, and stressed:

“This choice ignores the difference between moderate consumption and abuse of alcohol."

Dublin is now free to bring in the warnings about health risks linked to liver disease and cancer after it informed the European Commission of its plans in June 2022, and the EU executive did not raise objections in the ensuing six-month moratorium period even though Italy, France, Spain and six other EU member States were against it.

Italian wine producers fear the move will set a precedent that other countries may follow, and effect exports.

Italian farmers' association Coldiretti said:

“It is a direct attack on Italy, the main producer and exporter (of wine) with over 14 billion euro in (annual) revenue, with over half coming from abroad".

Lamberto Frescobaldi, the president of the Italian Wines Union (UIV), said the EU's "consent by silence" to Ireland's alcoholic drinks labels gave the green light to a "dangerous" move by a member state.

Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry Undersecretary Luigi D'Eramo expressed dismay too.

"You don't protect public health by criminalizing individual products," D'Eramo said in a statement on Thursday.

"Wine is history, culture, an expression of our territories to us, and it is part of the Mediterranean diet.

"It is about quality and responsible consumption. (The health warning plan) is a dangerous precedent that, if followed by other countries, risks damaging a leading sector of our food-agriculture system.”