A Fair Trade-off?

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Posted at 10:31AM, 19 June 2008 by Karyn Miller - journalist

According to new YouGov research, seven out of ten Brits would like retailers to do more to make sure suppliers treat their employees fairly. Well that's good to know.

Until you find our, almost half don't know that Fairtrade does just this, ensuring farmers are both treated and paid fairly. In fact, one in five admitted that they have 'no idea' what Fair Trade means.

But isn't Fairtrade is a roaring success story? More than 3,000 products bear the black, blue and green logo. And the UK has more than 300 Fairtrade towns, villages and boroughs, which have been awarded the status after meeting stringent criteria. In fact, clued-up consumers are now spending in excess of half a billion pounds on Fairtrade products every year.

I live in a 'Fairtrade borough', surrounded by farmland. Accredited products are readily available in our local shops and cafes, and a local 'steering group' monitors the area's continued commitment to its official Fairtrade status. Our farmers work hard to raise awareness of food and farming issues: that photogenic pig in wellies, selected as a mascot for the first fair price campaign for pork, is from these parts. So you'd think that here, of all places, people would be rooting for Fairtrade and would know its aims and benefits inside out.

However, this is not necessarily the case. A few days ago I sat in on a parish council meeting. Fairtrade was on the agenda, with local campaigners hoping that councillors would vouch support and agree to serve accredited tea and coffee at official functions. It was not to be.

'There are lots of Third World traders who are not in the scheme, therefore it's not actually fair', announced one councillor. With little debate, the council voted not to support the initiative. Spectators were incredulous.

Fairtrade has its critics, it's true. Earlier this year, one think tank claimed that the industry failed to aid long-term ecomomic development, by sustaining uncompetitive farming methods. (The Fairtrade Foundation hit back at what it called a 'misinformed paper'.)

And it's difficult to underplay the movement's achievements with studies detailing the multitude of ways in which it has transformed the lives of farmers and their families for the better.

Clearly, there is still work to be done when it comes to raising levels of awareness - even in supposedly 'Fairtrade-friendly' areas. What do you think of Fairtrade? Do you buy Fairtrade products or live in a Fairtrade area? How does the choice/ quality compare to other products?

Comments

James

23 June, 1:52PM
James

While I knew about fair trade (shop with one hand on your wallet, the other on your conscience), I never realised there were fair trade towns, like carrier bag free towns. Useful link everyone: http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/get_involved/campaigns/fairtrade_towns/about_fairtrade_towns.aspx

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Isabelle

23 June, 3:11PM
Isabelle

I wasn't aware of fair trade towns, but thankfully aware of fair trade. I have only bought very few fair trade products, but think there is really no reason not to buy a few items when shopping. ? It won't alter the price hugely.....and even if it does.....then it does. i am not in a position to spend alot, but mabe trying to commit to a couple of items out of the weekly/2 weekly shop is better than nothing? An obvious idea i'm sure.. Thats stupid that a fair trade borough woudln't support the idea. Coming from the people/ area who are meant to be drivers of this 'caring' movement

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ElaineOK77

25 June, 8:46PM
ElaineOK77

It's true that Fairtrade has its critics, and quite rightly so because although the foundation claims to be working for the good of farmers in the third world, but how is it that only a reported 10% of the (much higher) price we pay goes to the producer? The Adam Smith Institute did a report on the ethics of Fairtrade and concluded that there are other schemes working harder and contributing more to ethical working conditions across the world than the Fairtrade foundation. There's a little write up on the report here: http://www.foodeu.com/articles/FairTrade+Unfair.aspx

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