At the stage of consideration, 48 people voted for the amendments to the law, 15 voted against, and 31 members of the Seimas abstained.
The amendments to the law propose to grant farmers certified as traditional craftsmen by the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) the right to produce homemade vodka and other traditional drinks in rural tourism estates, but not more than 1000 liters per calendar year.
According to the initiators of the law, the amendments will help to reduce the level of crime in the country, as it will provide control over the volumes of alcohol production and the quality of the beverages produced.
It is envisaged that after obtaining licenses for the production of homemade vodka, about 200 rural tourism estates, each of which will produce 500 liters of pure alcohol, will contribute approximately 1 million euros to the budget annually through excise duty payments.
The government approved the project, but proposed to supplement it with a provision stating that the sale of homemade alcohol will be allowed only in the rural tourism estate owned by the farmer and only to the end consumer. In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers is calling for farmers to be required to test the quality and safety of the beverages they produce in laboratories.