A minimum price of 50p per unit for alcohol in Wales has been proposed by the Welsh Government.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said a consultation on the issue would get underway immediately with the aim of bringing in minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Wales for the summer of 2019.

The new law received Royal Assent in August, giving the Welsh Government powers to set a minimum unit price on alcohol, they say designed to specifically target cheap, strong booze.

Should the new 50p minimum be successfully introduced, the price of some alcohol would jump significantly. A 2l bottle of "Crofters" apple cider, currently on sale at Tesco in Welshpool, Newtown and Llandrindod for £2.05, would jump to a minimum of £5. A 1l bottle of fortified wine, currently sold for £5.50, would jump to at least £7.50.

Recent analysis by the University of Sheffield estimated that a 50p minimum unit price in Wales will lead to 66 (8.5%) fewer alcohol-attributable deaths per year, and 1,281 (3.6%) fewer alcohol-attributable hospital admissions per year.

Health Secretary, Vaughan Gething said:

"The ultimate objective of introducing a minimum unit price is to tackle alcohol-related harm, including alcohol-attributable hospital admissions and alcohol-related deaths in Wales, by reducing alcohol consumption in hazardous and harmful drinkers.

"In particular, the Act is targeted at protecting the health of hazardous and harmful drinkers - including young people - who tend to consume greater quantities of low-cost and high-alcohol content products.

"The higher the level of MUP that is chosen, the greater the proportion of purchased alcohol that is captured and the greater the estimated impact on alcohol-related harms. However, there is a trade-off, as there is also a greater impact on moderate drinkers, particularly moderate drinkers in the more deprived groups. After careful consideration and on balance, my preference is that the initial level of the MUP should be set at 50p. But we will now gather views from individuals, businesses, public bodies and interested parties about the Welsh Government’s preferred price of 50p."

Currently just under two-fifths (37%) of all alcohol is currently purchased at less than 50p per unit, accounting for just under half of all off-trade alcohol.