MP calls for ‘guest beer’ law to open up pub chains to small Welsh breweries

Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts has urged the UK Government to introduce new rules that would give small Welsh breweries fairer access to large pub chains, similar to legislation already in place in Scotland.

The Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP said the move would “level the playing field” for Welsh craft brewers, many of whom are locked out of local pubs because of restrictive supply contracts between pub chains and larger producers.

The Welsh beer and pub sector contributes more than £1.5 billion to the national economy and supports around 68,000 jobs. Yet, according to industry figures, around 60% of pubs within 40 miles of an independent brewery cannot stock its beer due to “tied pub” arrangements.

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Ms Saville Roberts recently visited the Purple Moose Brewery in Porthmadog, where managing director Lawrence Washington described how his award-winning beers are unavailable in most nearby pubs.

“We’ve got lots of great pubs in Wales, but many aren’t permitted to buy beer directly from local breweries,” he said. “In Scotland, legislation gives tenants that right, and I hope the Government will do the same in Wales.”

Liz Saville Roberts said the Scottish Tied Pubs (Scotland) Act 2021 provides a “practical model” for reform.

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Small producer

The Act introduced a “guest beer” provision giving pub tenants the right to stock at least one independently produced beer of their choice — even if their premises are tied to a major brewery or pub company.

Under the law, the guest beer must come from a small producer making fewer than 5,000 hectolitres a year, ensuring the benefit goes to micro- and regional brewers.

Tenants are also free to set their own price and choose the beer format — cask, keg, bottle, or can — giving them greater flexibility to meet local demand.

“Small breweries such as Purple Moose are vital to our local economies and cultural identity,” Ms Saville Roberts said. “The Scottish guest beer model offers a sensible way to support small producers while enhancing consumer choice.”

She added that fairer market access would help create a “more diverse and resilient brewing sector across Wales and the UK”.