Check Out Fairtrade: Faith Release

Places of worship all around the UK will be calling on their congregations to CHECK OUT FAIRTRADE, during this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight (1-13 March 2005). The aim is to get them to, find out all about the FAIRTRADE Mark - the only independent guarantee of a fair deal for farmers in developing countries. And it’s also encouraging them to take goods with the FAIRTRADE Mark to the checkout of their local shop or supermarket.

The CHECK OUT FAIRTRADE campaign aims to put the FAIRTRADE Mark at the forefront of this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight - the annual two weeks of intensive awareness-raising and campaigning. It aims to deepen understanding about the positive impact of Fairtrade.

“It’s so quick and easy for shoppers to choose products with the FAIRTRADE Mark, and yet the difference this makes to producers can be dramatic”, says Harriet Lamb, Director of the Foundation. “The Fairtrade system demands huge efforts by farmers in Africa, Asia and Latin America as they organise into democratically run groups. This ensures that the gradual improvements which Fairtrade makes possible are sustainable, giving communities a real chance to build a brighter future – and ‘Make Poverty History’.”

Up and down the country thousands of events will take place at churches and other places of worship to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight and encourage people to Check Out what’s behind the FAIRTRADE Mark.

More than 30% of activities during Fairtrade Fortnight are organised by faith groups. Typical examples from the south west are at St Cyriac’s Church, Laycock,on March 13 where there will be ‘prayers and meditations for a better world’ and Churches Together will be running a tasting stand in Mere at the local Co-op on March 4.

There will also be supermarket tastings, school children educating their teachers about Fairtrade, a ‘Fairtrade Fling’ barn dance and many other Fairtrade occasions. For details see the Fairtrade Foundation website www.fairtrade.org.uk.

Tadesse Meskela, General Manager of Oromia Coffee Farmers’ Co-operative Union in Ethiopia, will be visiting the UK for Fairtrade Fortnight. Oromia’s mission is to support small producers in becoming economically self-sufficient and ensuring their families have enough to eat in a country prone to famine. As Tadesse explains, “With Fairtrade coffee, farmers in Ethiopia are getting their deserved reward. Fairtrade is not just a selling and buying process. It is creating a global family.” With Africa holding the political spotlight in 2005, Tadesse will be touring the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight to highlight the importance of Fairtrade in tackling poverty. Several other Fairtrade producers will also be touring the UK, sharing their experiences and checking out their products on our shop shelves. They include Fairtrade cocoa growers from Ghana and banana farmers from the Caribbean.

The guarantees behind the FAIRTRADE Mark are as follows:

• Farmers receive a fair and stable price for their products
• Farmers and plantation workers have the opportunity to improve their lives
• Greater respect for the environment
• Small-scale farmers gain a stronger position in world markets
• A closer link between consumers and producers

A 2004 MORI poll showed that the number of people who recognised the FAIRTRADE Mark had doubled to 39% since 2002. For those who buy Fairtrade products, 86% said the independent guarantee of the FAIRTRADE Mark is important to them. Fairtrade sales are currently doubling every two years and all major supermarket chains now sell Fairtrade products. More than 700 products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark are now available across the retail and catering sectors. It’s thought sales for 2004 will top £130million. (The exact product and sale figures will be published at the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight on 1st March.)

Fairtrade Fortnight is promoted by networks around the country including development agencies CAFOD, Christian Aid, Oxfam, SCIAF, Tearfund, Traidcraft Exchange and the World Development Movement, as well as a wide range of other organisations: Shared Interest, Banana Link, People & Planet, the Mothers’ Union, The National Federation of Women’s Institutes, the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign, churches and church-related organisations and the UNISON and PCS trade unions. Major pushes are expected in nearly 100 Fairtrade Towns and Cities where committees have pledged to roll out an ongoing programme of activities to raise awareness about Fairtrade.

Most major retailers are planning special promotional activities during Fairtrade Fortnight to highlight Fairtrade products on their shelves and at the checkout. Elsewhere on the high street, café chains and restaurants will also be drawing attention to the Fairtrade tea, coffee, juices and snacks now appearing on their menus.

A Church Action Guide has been specially produced for church congregations across the country, compiled with the help of the United Reformed Church’s ‘Commitment for Life’ programme. It contains prayers and bible readings relevant to Fairtrade and trade justice.

It also looks at the way Fairtrade has helped farmers in developing countries. It shows how cane sugar farmers in southern Malawi have benefited from the sale of Fairtrade sugar, as they now have a bore hole providing clean, fresh water for the first time to the village of Kapasule.

Notes to Editor
1. The FAIRTRADE Mark is an independent consumer label which appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 5 million people - farmers, workers and their families - across 49 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body that awards the FAIRTRADE Mark to products which meet international Fairtrade standards.
2. To become a Fairtrade church, first get the appropriate Council or church meeting to agree to:
• Use Fairtrade tea and coffee for all meetings for which they have responsibility
• Move forward on using other Fairtrade products
• Promote Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight and through other activities whenever possible
Then download a form from www.fairtrade.org.uk/get_involved_church.htm
3. Fairtrade brands now account for 18.8% of the total UK roast and ground coffee market. Cafédirect owns the sixth largest coffee brand. It has also developed Teadirect into one of the fastest growing tea brand in the UK.
4. Make Poverty History brings together a wide cross-section of 200 organisations united by a common belief that this year offers an unprecedented opportunity for global change, including trade justice, drop the debt and more and better aid. www.makepovertyhistory.org

For further information please contact the Fairtrade Foundation: 020 7440 7695 or switchboard 020 7405 5942, mobile 0790 4455666 / 07734 566079, Email: media@fairtrade.org.uk or media.one@fairtrade.org.uk
www.fairtrade.org.uk