Fair Trade

I recently attended the Cross-Party Fairtrade Group at the Scottish Parliament. It was very interesting and I saw first-hand both how a parliamentary group works, and the inside of the Scottish Parliament. John Mason MP, convenor, welcomed us, asking how we were involved in FT and thanked us for attending. About 30 people attended with 10 or so online. 

The Colombian Ambassador, Laura Sarabia Torres, spoke first and advocated growing communities not conflict. In this way peaceful, resilient, rural communities are created, a viable alternative to conflict and the drug economy in Colombia. Next spoke Giovanni Porras, sustainable development manager at Frutas de los Andes, a Colombian social company, B Corp, that brings healthy products to the international market. He wants to export his dried fruit to the UK but Fair Trade accreditation is expensive. He employs 35 single mothers displaced by drug -fuelled violence. This Fair Trade, organic model, gives 384 local families dignified, reliable livelihoods.

It was a friendly meeting with our shared enthusiasm and dedication for Fairtrade evident. Mr Mason finished by promising that the Scottish government would do all it could to help promote and support Fairtrade, hopefully increasing international development links with many nations including South America. There was animated conversation - I chatted to a lady who runs a Fairtrade stall at her church in Dumfries. She was amazed by our monthly FT sales of £125-£150. 

Thank you all for your continued support of our Fairtrade stalls within our Cluster - it really makes such a difference to small farmers and producers across the globe. 

For any further information or if you wish to join the Fairtrade group please contact me frankmeehan_uk@yahoo.co.uk

Frank Meehan