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Award winning campaigners
A Lincolnshire pensioner has helped her town win recognition for imaginative campaigning in the Fairtrade Fortnight Awards 2008. Gill Chatfield’s ambitious tour of her home county on the public bus network, using her new Freedom bus pass, took her from Louth and back via ten Oxfam shops in towns including Skegness, Cleethorpes and Lincoln as part of Louth Fairtrade Town Campaign. Other parts of the campaign involved stalls in local schools and film screenings. The winner of the award for most imaginative campaign went to Ashbourne, for their mass banana eating world record attempt. The awards recognise the most creative and dedicated Fairtrade campaigners and their efforts during Fairtrade Fortnight. Other winners included Renfrewshire Council, who reached a huge audience holding stalls in places as diverse as Glasgow Airport and Braehead shopping centre. For a full list of winners see www.fairtrade.org.uk/campaigns. The certificates will be presented to the winners at the Fairtrade Foundation’s Campaign days. Well done to all who submitted entries, we love hearing about all your amazing work.
New prices for Fairtrade cotton
Cotton farmers welcomed the new Fairtrade minimum prices for cotton, which came into effect on 1 July 2008. In the new pricing system, there are six regional Fairtrade minimum prices for Central and South America; Northern Africa; Eastern Africa; Western and Central Africa; South Asia and Kyrgyzstan. The regional pricing system, and wider geographical scope means cotton producer organizations from 76 producing countries will be able to access Fairtrade certification and the benefits of selling Fairtrade cotton. Previously only producers in nine countries could do so. The new prices also bring an average 24 percent increase in the price per kilo compared to the previous minimum prices. Tamara Thomas, head of nonfood business at the Fairtrade Foundation said: ‘With more farmers now able to gain Fairtrade certification, our challenge is to increase the number of businesses willing to trade on Fairtrade terms – it’s never been more important for people to choose Fairtrade cotton when they shop.’
Festival goers battle for trade justice
Fairtrade supporters have been signing up in their thousands to ask the Prime Minister to ensure that the UK Government fights for trade rules that directly address the needs of the world’s poorest people. So far over 8,000 postcards have been delivered to Gordon Brown, making it one of the biggest postcard campaigns to Number 10 this year. Fairtrade Foundation staff and volunteers have canvassed support at some of the summer’s biggest festivals including Glastonbury and Ben and Jerry’s Sundae. It’s now more important than ever to bring trade justice to the fore. After the collapse of the Doha round of the world trade talks Rob Cameron, Chief Executive Officer of Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International said ‘An important opportunity has been lost. This comes as farmers are already under extreme pressure with high costs of inputs,transportation and local food. As more consumers put their money where their mouth is, they are sending a powerful message to companies and governments around the world. We urge WTO leaders to take note and recognise what can be achieved through collaboration.’©Autumn2008 Fair Comment