The Dáil has been told that large breweries are attempting to exclude small craft brewers from pubs by engaging in anti-competitive practices.
Labour Party TD Alan Kelly said big companies are abusing their dominance by providing free stock, refurbishments, advance discounts, kegs and even cash to pubs which shut out rival brewers.
He called on the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) to investigate the practices.
Deputy Kelly said incentives were being offered to publicans in return for the removal of stock from smaller rivals. In one pub in Cork, he said, 19 out of 21 taps were from one beer company.
Addressing Minister of State with Responsibility for Small Business Pat Breen, Mr Kelly said: "Brewers across the country are being devastated by this decision; we need you to get on to the CCPC to say this needs to be investigated once and for all."
He said the practice was costing Irish jobs.
Responding Minister Breen said it was not illegal for a pub to buy all of its goods from a single brewer, but it would be a breach of the law if smaller brewers were excluded from the entire market.
"Exclusive arrangements between the businesses do not raise competitive concerns and are not in themselves a breach of competition law.
"It is only where such agreements can exclude competitors from the entire market and not individual businesses that such agreements can be regarded as anti competitive," he said.
"Such arrangements are examined by the CCPC on a case by case basis on foot of complaints by distributors."
Minister Breen said the CCPC's examination of complaints received to date has shown the relevant exclusive agreements were used in a "small number of pubs in the State, and that other brewers, distributors large and small still had access to the vast majority of pubs."
