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Fair Trade
Fair
Trade does exactly
what it says on the label. It guarentees
a fair
price paid to farmers of developing countries,
for
their produce.
Thornbury
is now designated as a
Fair Trade Town. Look for the above logo in shops and
premises where Fair
Trade Goods are available.
What
is Fair Trade?
Fair
Trade is not a
charity or brand name,
but a workable
trading
model which enables producers, especially farmers in third
world
countries, to obtain a fair and stable price for their
produce.
Fair
Trade is readily
available in Thornbury
at,
Oxfam,
the United Reformed Church and Baptist Church have
been selling a range of Fair Trade goods for a number of years.
But over
the past 4 years,
with the advent of
Fair Trade
Town status, products are now available from a number of
outlets in the
town. Look for the Fair Trade Logo in shop windows.
Thornbury
Fair Trade Directory
Thornbury
Town Council have
produced a local
directory of places where Fair Trade Goods can be purchased.
The
Directory is updated regularly and is available from the Tourist
Information Center,
Library,
Armstrong Hall Complex, the Chantry,
and most
churches within the town.
Recently
early on a
Monday morning,
our church acted as host to
local MP Steve Webb and representatives of Thornbury,
Yate and Frampton Cotterel
churches.
The
purpose was to
present to our MP Action Cards from all of the churches,
urging Gordon Brown to use
his influence on the world stage, and
have the debts owed to the developing world to the developed
world,
cancelled.
These
debts were
incurred in the 60's and 70's, when
developing
countries were encouraged to take out loans for various projects.
Some
of which were good and worth
while,
whilst others were for white
elephants or for use in buying arms to prop
up dictator regimes. Initially these countries were able to
make payments
off their original loan. Since the 1908's however interest
rates have
increased to such an extent, that
many of these
countries can just about manage to pay the interest charges
levied. In
order to meet these payments, drastic
cuts in
public services have had to be made, which has meant that in
most of
these countries health and educational services have
suffered. In some
cases they are non
existent.
Another
aspect of the
Justice and Debt campaign,
is the price that
local producers are paid for the commodities that form part of our
daily
foods. With today's trend in globalized corporations,
and their high profit
ethos, has led these producers to be paid
less than it costs to grow and harvest their crops. For
instance,
the price of coffee
beans has dropped dramatically
over the past couple of years, but have prices reduced in the
shops ?
So
these developing
countries are caught up in a double ' whammy ' of high interest
payments and
reduced prices for their exports. The irony of the situation
is that many
of the debts owed by the developing world, has
been more than paid back in high interest rates over the
years. They have
paid off more than their original loan. The only winners at
the moment
are money lenders and commodity dealers.
Aguedea
Ordenna a Nicaraguan Coffee Producer calls in on morning coffee during
Fair Trade Fortnight