Great Trade Debates set the agenda for Fairtrade 

16 February 2009 

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• Five regional debates on trade, climate change and ethical shopping
• Hundreds of banana world record eating events
• Fairtrade producers to visit Fairtrade Towns

 
One of the highlights of this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight will be a series of regional debates on trade, climate change and ethical shopping (Oxford 23 February, Cardiff 25 February, Birmingham 2 March, Edinburgh 4 March, Leeds 5 March ⁴), hosted by Fairtrade networks and organisations which support Fairtrade. The Great Trade debates will explore the various issues in relation to marginalised farmers and workers and look at how Fairtrade is part of the solution.

Topics will include: Can trade be both free and fair?; Fairtrade futures: can Fairtrade transform global trade?; and Can your shopping basket change the world? They’ll also discuss a new report on the impact of the global food crisis for small-scale farmers entitled: The global food crisis and Fairtrade: Small farmers, Big solutions? ⁵ to be launched in London ahead of Fortnight at a high level conference at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster.

Those putting forward the Fairtrade arguments include: Gareth Thomas, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development; Andrew Mitchell, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development; John Battle, MP; Peter Griffiths, author of The Economist’s Tale: A Consultant Encounters Hunger and the World Bank; Alec Van Gelder, Network Director of the International Policy Network; John Hilary, Director War on Want; Benedict Southworth, Director, World Development Movement, Harriet Lamb, Executive Director of the Fairtrade Foundation and Rob Cameron, CEO of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International. (See notes to editors)

This year’s Fairtrade Fortnight is themed Make it happen. Choose Fairtrade looks set to be bigger and better than ever before with thousands of activities taking part around the country including banana eating events, opportunities to meet Fairtrade producers, fashion shows, exhibitions and Fairtrade bazaars.

The theme reflects the urgency of expanding Fairtrade to benefit more farmers and their dependents in the developing world. During the current global economic crisis, the need to expand Fairtrade is more important than ever. People in developing countries, who typically spend over 50% of their income on food, are the most severely affected by rising global food costs.  Many producers are also facing rising production costs as the price of fuel and other inputs soar.

Harriet Lamb, CEO of the Fairtrade Foundation says: ‘The Fairtrade Foundation’s message for Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 is that, while sales of Fairtrade products and awareness of Fairtrade has been growing apace in recent years, change is still not happening nearly quickly enough for the millions of the world’s poorest farmers who remain trapped in trade poverty. The challenge now is to urgently scale up the reach and impact of Fairtrade so that by working together, we can succeed in tipping the balance of trade in favour of marginalized farmers and producers. Fairtrade Fortnight is an opportunity for us all to do something too by holding events at work, at home or in the community.’

Fairtrade Fortnight is the Fairtrade Foundation’s annual campaign call to people in the UK to promote awareness of Fairtrade and buy products carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark.  Fairtrade Fortnight 2009 will bring together producers, campaigners, retailers, licensees and NGOs around the country to highlight global inequality and promote Fairtrade, which benefits 7.5 million people – farmers, workers and their families – who live in impoverished rural communities in the developing world.

More than 20 farmers from Sri Lanka, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and St Lucia will tour separate locations around the England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. They will explain to schools, businesses and community groups about the potential of Fairtrade to make a difference to global poverty, with a view to inspiring people in their roles as both consumers and citizens. To find out where the producers will be visit www.fairtrade.org/get_involved/news_events.

The two-week campaign will culminate in a 24-hour world record attempt for the number of people simultaneously eating a Fairtrade banana across the UK. The mass banana eating will take place between noon on Friday 6 and noon on Saturday 7 March, with hundreds of events expected to take place around the country during Fairtrade Fortnight.  For a list of all events or to register to take part go to  www.fairtrade.org.uk/gobananas/

Companies are also planning to go bananas for the campaign.  Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose will invite their customers to Go Fairtrade bananas! with a specially designed sticker placed onto all their bagged Fairtrade bananas. In addition the catering company Compass has been working hard to ensure they have sufficient Fairtrade bananas available in the schools, university and workplaces they supply, and will also be running special events with both customers and staff. 

The FAIRTRADE Mark is now recognised by 70% of people in the UK, and more than 4,500 food, drink and clothing items as well as other goods have now been certified Fairtrade. The value of UK Fairtrade sales has grown more than tenfold since 2001, reaching nearly £500 million in 2007, and, more importantly still, in 2007 the real volumes (by weight or number) of produce more than doubled. This is great news for the producers whose Fairtrade premiums, the extra payment they receive from selling to the Fairtrade market, are based on these volumes.

In 2008, over 10,000 activities and events took place during Fairtrade Fortnight, reflecting the diverse range of supporters across the country – everything from Fairtrade parades, concerts and debates to coffee mornings, fashion shows and family days.

– ENDS –

 Notes to Editors:

1.     The FAIRTRADE Mark is a certification mark and a registered trademark of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) of which the Fairtrade Foundation is the UK member. The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label is now recognised by 70% of UK consumers and appears on products as a guarantee that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal. Today, more than 7.5 million people – farmers, workers and their families – across 59 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.

2.     Over 4,500 products have been licensed to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark including coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, apples, pears, plums, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, clementines, mandarins, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs &  spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, beers, rum, confectionery, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homeware, cloth toys & cotton wool.

3.     Seven in 10 households purchase Fairtrade goods, including an extra 2.3 million more households in the last year alone, helping Fairtrade sales reach an estimated half a billion pounds (approx £493m) in 2007, a 72% increase on the previous year. By the end of 2007 there were over 430 producer organisations selling to the UK and 632 certified producer groups globally, representing more than 1.5 million farmers and workers.

4.     Great Trade Debate venues:  Oxford: Is Justice A Lost Cause Monday 23 February, Oxford Town Hall 7pm-9pm. Speakers include: Harriet Lamb, Executive Director, Fairtrade Foundation; John Hilary, Director, War on Want, Andrew Mitchell, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Edwin Laurent, Former Special Envoy to the EU for the Windward Islands.

Cardiff: Can trade be both free and fair? Wednesday 25 February, Reardon Smith Theatre, Museum of Wales, 7pm- 9pm,Speakers include: Benedict Southworth, Director, World Development Movement, Mark Varney, Head of Commercial Relations, Fairtrade Foundation, Peter Griffiths, author of The Economist's Tale: A Consultant Encounters Hunger and the World Bank, Alec van Gelder, Network Director, International Policy Network