article_snippet: A new tax by Commission could see 80 per cent of small cider producers affected .
article_snippet: Four out of five British cider makers would be put out of business after a new ruling by Commission.
article_snippet: Changes to the 39-year-old exemption is likely to affect 80 per cent of Britain's 480 cider and perry makers, according to the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM).
article_snippet: David Kaspar runs a small apple juice, cider and perry business in Brookthorpe, Gloucestershire, and makes under 170 hectolitres of cider from the 16 acre orchard to sell at markets and a pub.
article_snippet: The exemption is fundamental to keeping craft cider-making going.
article_snippet: If we had to pay an extra £2,500 we had to pay an extra £2,500 would probably stop we risking making wooden-barrel cider and perry because it's too fragile. '
article_snippet: It would hasten the demise of traditional orchards and would be another nail in the coffin of traditional cider-making and would be a loss to the natural habitat.'
article_snippet: The volume of cider produced annually in the UK is in excess of 6 million hectolitres or 130 million UK gallons, according NACM.
article_snippet: Some have blamed the industrial-scale cider makers who account for the production of 130 million gallons of cider in the UK every year for the intervention by the EC, according to the paper.
article_snippet: A The Treasury spokesperson said: 'The government's support for small cider makers has helped create a diverse and vibrant market, improving consumer choice and creating jobs. '
highlights_snippet: Change is likely to affect 80 per cent of UK's 480 cider and perry producers .
  