Speaking in the Scottish Members Debate: Scotland More Aware of Fair Trade, Nanette Milne, Scottish Conservative MSP for the North East said:
“The Scottish Fair Trade Forum’s survey showed not only an increase in awareness of the concept of Fair Trade, but also a rise in the purchasing of Fair Trade products in Scotland.
“All this has been achieved in the very year that Scotland was awarded Fair Trade status, making it the second nation in the UK to gain this accolade and one of the first worldwide. With all Scottish cities and 62 towns across the country holding similar recognition, I think we can all be proud of what Scots have worked towards in a relatively short period of time.
“As a regional MSP for the North East, I was pleased to see that the motion makes reference to Angus, and it is commendable that for over a decade the Council, of whatever political composition, has promoted the idea of Fair Trade across the county. Montrose became the first Fair Trade town in 2008 followed by Montrose Academy as the first Fair Trade School in the area. Also the range of shops, restaurants, cafes, hotels and supermarkets supporting the Fair Trade initiative in Angus stretches from Kirriemuir to Carnoustie, and from Forfar to Arbroath. The range of products on offer is as diverse as coffee and rice to cotton and sports balls, sold in order to benefit projects in Palestine, Kenya and Malawi – the latter, as we know, being a country with which Scotland has had ties for centuries.
“Closer to my home town of Aberdeen, the first city in Scotland to achieve Fair Trade status back in 2004, it is interesting to note that this award was made to the “People of Aberdeen” in recognition of the businesses, schools, faith groups and individuals who worked so hard to gain this prestigious rating. The commitment of groups and organisations to gaining Fair Trade status should not be underestimated, and the process is not automatic or by any means easy. Renewal for towns and cities takes place every two years, and in the case of Aberdeen the next date when the Fair Trade Steering Group will have to list their achievements, is 2014. I wish them well, but given the fact that schools in my area such as Dyce Academy and Airyhall Primary have already successfully achieved Fair Trade School status, with other bodies working towards similar goals, I think I can be assured that Aberdeen will go from strength to strength.
“My local church in Aberdeen, Cults Parish Church, has a Traidcraft stall situated in the hall after the service every Sunday, offering a wide range of fairly traded products such as food items, cards and gifts. And I have to say that at a time when supermarkets perhaps come under undue criticism, their commitment to Fair Trade should be acknowledged. As a customer, I find the Fair Trade bananas sold in Asda to be of exceptional quality, as is some of the Fair Trade ground coffee, and in my local Co-op, where I often buy wine at weekends, their Fair Trade Pinot Grigio is as good as you’ll find anywhere.
“I was also interested to learn of the work of Sainsbury’s in promoting Fair Trade through their Ambassador programme, whereby individuals, some 500 within the UK, spread awareness of the initiative across local communities. Their ambitious 20by20 strategy aims to increase sales of fairly traded produce by £1 billion by 2020 and will see an expansion in the range of goods available to customers.
“Targets such as these mean that organisations are hopefully not simply relying on what they have already achieved. We must not be complacent but aim to work even harder to gain a better deal for developing countries across the globe.
“A simple thing like choosing to buy a Fair Trade bar of chocolate instead of a regular bar should be easy, and can make a big difference to families and communities in other parts of the world.
“We need to encourage more people to think of where their shopping comes from, and to consider buying, where possible, goods from overseas which are fairly traded.”