The first of these meetings had been scheduled for the 15th of December. The agenda for the meeting was made public last week. It includes a report back from the province on the current state of alcohol research and data to be used to determine policy and legislation. During the conference the data used by the province to determine policy and legislation was questioned. It was agreed that data applicable to the South African situation should be used. The agenda also includes a report back on the status of the drafting of by-laws on trading days and trading hours by municipalities. According to Danie Cronjé, the Director of liquor Law Services at Cluver Markotter Incorporated the question and answer sessions included in the agenda will hopefully provide an opportunity to bring the problems currently being experienced with the application of current liquor legislation by the SAPS to the attention of the minister. The Western Cape Liquor Act which will come into operation in April requires even more involvement from SAPS Liquor Officers. In our experience many liquor officers are often not well informed about the legislation which they must enforce and we are therefore concerned about the implications hereof for wineries. The licencing of wineries is usually more complicated than outlets such as restaurants or liquor stores as wineries often operate on several levels in the industry. They are micro-manufacturers, distributors, retailers and often also have on-consumption businesses such as restaurants or function venues.