British American Tobacco warned yesterday that new anti-smoking guidelines put out by the World Health Organisation would lead to a sharp increase in smuggling.

Delegates from 160 countries at a WHO summit agreed, at the weekend, on new guidelines including the implementation of a global anti-tobacco treaty.

Among the measures agreed in Durban after the week-long summit are demands for government interaction with the tobacco industry to be “strictly limited and transparent”.

The convention also recommended banning any display of tobacco products in shops and said world governments should consider forcing all tobacco product packaging to be ‘plain’ or unbranded.

The guidelines, which were strongly opposed by representatices of the French, German, Japanese and Chinese governments, are non-enforcable — but the tobacco industry fears many of them will still be adopted.

And they come as the UK government prepares to introduce new anti-smoking measures in next week’s Queen’s Speech. The government recently floated the idea of making cigarette packs plain and may even introduce legislation banning displays in shops.

BAT chief executive, Paul Adams, said many of the guidelines suggested at the WHO summit would, if adopted by governments, undermine attempts to reduce the health impact of tobacco and lead to a huge rise in illegal tobacco trading.

He said: “We fully agree that the manufacture, distribution and sale of tobacco products should be regulated. But these guidelines raise serious questions about real best practice in policy making.

“They are a potential recipe to vilify and marginalise legitimate, tax-paying, regulated businesses employing thousands of people, and risk forcing tobacco products underground — where the illicit, non-taxpaying, unregulated trade is already flourishing.”

Mr Adams said it was responsible for governments to consult properly with the industry in framing regulation aimed at reducing the impact of smoking on public health.

He added: “The legitimate tobacco industry can help to block illegal sales to children, fight illicit trade, set standards for appropriate marketing, invest in researching potentially less harmful products — and also support thousands of jobs and pay valuable taxes, especially in tough economic times.”

He pointed out that tobacco smuggling had exploded in Canada after it banned tobacco product displays in shops and hiked duties — with the black market now accounting for nearly half of all tobacco consumed in Ontario.

Mr Adams claimed delegates at the Durban summit had also been heavily influenced by a coalition of anti-tobacco activists and pressure groups, who had been given special access to the convention, while the tobacco industry had been effectively excluded.

The UK sent four delegates to the Durban convention — three Department of Health officials and the Government’s health attaché to the EU.

Times Recommends

• Lies and cover-up at MG Rover exposed by report
• High oil prices push manufacturing costs up
• Primark founder steps down as chief executive