|
|
Why Fairtrade?
How
often do we sit down to a meal and think about where the
food came from and the working and living conditions of
those who produced it?
There is an ever-increasing divide between the rich countries
who are getting richer and the developing countries who
find it ever harder to compete. Trading rules are often
heavily loaded against the developing countries.
For example, there are over 3,000 international trade
meetings a year. Developing countries struggle to send
even one representative to any of the meetings whereas
the wealthier countries will have well funded teams of
maybe 120 specialist negotiators. Whose voice will be
heard?
The US subsidise their maize farmers by $20,000 a year,
the Mexican farmer gets nothing. It is not a level playing
field. Producers in countries which we call the third
or developing world are forced to work long hours in poor
conditions for wages which are barely enough to feed their
families. Their communities cannot afford health care
or the education which might offer hope to change their
situation.
More and more people across the world are standing up
and saying that this situation cannot carry on and raising
their voices on behalf of their fellow human beings and
using their purchasing power to make a difference.
|
|
