The Lithuanian parliament on September 3 approved legislation allowing farmers providing rural tourism services to produce traditional home-distilled vodka.
The amendments to the Law on Alcohol Control were passed with 63 votes in favour, 15 against and 22 abstentions.
The amended law defines a traditional alcoholic drink made by a farmer as one with up to 65% alcohol by volume. It must be recognised as a national heritage product and produced by a farmer offering rural tourism services.
The legislation allows farmers to produce up to 100 litres of such a liquor per year, but it can only be used for personal or family needs or for on-site tasting. The drink cannot be sold or transported, and the equipment used must be marked with an identification number.
The parliamentary Committee on Economics said in early July that the European Commission did not object to the proposal to legalize the production of home-distilled vodka at rural tourism homesteads, as it did not provide any comments or a detailed opinion.
The amendments will enter into force on October 31. (LRT)