Farmers’ Homemade Alcohol Concentration Limited; Sales to Be Strictly Prohibited Starting November 2024!

On September 10, 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture of Lithuania issued a notice No. 2024-15914, amending the Law on the Control of Alcoholic Beverages, which came into force on November 1, 2024. The amendments mainly cover the following points:

(1) The definition of traditional alcoholic beverages produced by farmers is clearly defined;

(2) To allow the production of naturally fermented home-made alcoholic beverages with an ethanol concentration of no more than 18% by volume (beer no more than 9.5% by volume), but such products are limited to personal or domestic use and are prohibited from external sale;

(3) The traditional alcoholic beverages produced by farmers must be accompanied by a clearly visible label with detailed information such as the label number, the name of the producer, the date of production, the composition and the percentage of the concentration;

(4) The production of alcohol products is limited to enterprises that have obtained a license for the product, and the license is valid indefinitely.