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Localise West Midlands
The Warehouse
54-57 Allison Street
Digbeth
Birmingham
B5 5TH
Tel: 0121 685 1155
Fax: 0121 643 3122
Email: info@localisewestmidlands.org.uk

Registered in England and Wales as a company limited by guarantee (not for profit) no: 6239211

Campaigns and links

Fair trade for British farmers is an issue on the rise, as the following overview of campaigns and quotes will demonstrate. The campaigns that got the most media coverage are by the Farmers Guardian who collected over 50,000 signatures in an award-winning campaign and the Women's Institute who started "The great milk debate" with the NFU.
After highlighting events that have drawn attention to British fair trade, some statements and intentions by politicians across the UK are pointed out (go directly to this section).

This overview outlines activities, campaigns and statements on UK fair trade over the last few years.

If you are campaigning for British fair trade and would like to be included on this website, please e-mail us.

15 November 2002
Bruce Crowther's address at Lancaster University includes "Wouldn't it be nice to see a Fair Trade Mark on products like milk and British lamb so that when these people do their shopping they can be sure that the local farmer is also getting a fair price for his produce?" Bruce is the Fair Trade Towns coordinator at FairTrade UK.

3 July 2006
Guardian article: Sir Stuart Hampson, chairman of the John Lewis partnership, which owns Waitrose, calls for supermarkets to show that "Fairtrade" applies to UK farmers as much as it does to those in developing countries.

30 January 2007
On the BBC News website [Gloucs] we read that the National Federation of Women's Institutes (NFWI) petition has been signed by 72,000 (see press release). The NFWI is urging action to ensure a sustainable dairy industry where farmers receive a fair price for their milk. MP Caroline Spelman presented the petition to Parliament.

14 February 2007
The Stirrer web-paper publishes news of Plantation Cottage Herbs nomination of Capers of Pershore for the first Fair Deal Award by the West Midlands-based Attwood Group (see article).

21 May 2007
Harriet Lamb of the Fairtrade Foundation writes to Fair Deal Awards: "I do completely applaud all efforts to support UK farmers and therefore wish you the best of luck with your future work".

21 June 2007
At the Royal Highland Show, the Church of Scotland launched a report that called for a fair trade label for Scottish agricultural produce to ensure a more equitable share of margins in the food chain. See summary of thinking.

July 2007
Localise West Midlands agrees to support the Fair Deal project of the Attwood group by researching, writing and organising the publication of press releases to raise awareness of the Fair Deal Project and the wider UK Fair-trade issue.

27 September 2007
Peter Kendall, NFU president, wrote: "A campaign is to be launched later* this autumn as part of the recovery programme from FMD, based around a "new deal" with the British public, under which we will provide greater food security, beautiful countryside, high standards of animal welfare, reduced food miles and renewable energy in return for fair prices for our products - beef, lamb and pork especially."

*This campaign is now launched, but the webpage has disappeared

26 October 2007
The Farmers Guardian newspaper & Country Living magazine collected 52,000 signatures on their Fair Trade for British Farmers petition, presented to Lord Rooker this week. They have found that: since the Fair Trade for British Farmers campaign was launched in February, there has been a noticeable shift in attitude among supermarkets towards their UK suppliers. Retailers have delivered a series of price rises, seemingly recognising their responsibility in securing the future of British farming (see FG article).

9 November 2007
Farmers Guardian: The Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG) calls for fair trade for British farmer. EIAG chairman John Reynolds said: "Farmers are asking for no more than a fair price for a fair product". See report (pdf file)

9 November 2007
Farmers Guardian reports: The European Milk Board [EMB] launches a Fair Milk Campaign in Scotland next week. Its symbol is 'Faironika' - a blue cow with two calves.

14 December 2007
Birmingham Mail, Solihull Times, Solihull News and the Stirrer web-newspaper report that dairy farmer Andrew Hemming has nominated the Waitrose supermarket chain for a Fair Deal Award, saying: "Waitrose have led the way for promoting fair trade for British farmers and we have been able to use their better and fairer terms as leverage to encourage other supermarkets to adopt fairer practices towards their producers. By publicising positive examples like Waitrose using its buying power responsibly the fair deal awards can raise awareness and encourage more buyers and consumers to support a fair deal for British food producers." The award was presented to Branch Manager Rob Snape-Johnson on 13th December as part of a scheme organised by Localise West Midlands, which aims to encourage a fair return for food producers.

21 February 2008
Amy Longrigg of Localise West Midlands organised the second West Midlands Fair Deal award; Charlotte Hollins of Fordhall Farm, Shropshire, nominated the farm shop customers who give a fair price for the farm's produce.

3 July 2008
Renee van Baar of Localise West Midlands organised the third West Midlands Fair Deal award; cattle farmer Brian Swift nominated Rugby Livestock Market for providing a good service. The award was presented to the market at the Royal Show and received press coverage from local radio stations and regional press (Birmingham Post).

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Political statements

2003

Caroline Spelman MP: "[our own farmers] suffer from exactly the same problem as developing farmers of seeing middle men take more and more of the profit on what they produce for diminishing returns at the farm gate. I would go so far as to urge British farmers to join the Fair Trade campaign and demonstrate real solidarity with the world's poor farmers.
Like the Colombian coffee farmer, the East Anglian sugar beet producer would then make common cause to balance the power of the big food retailers and supermarkets. Consumers could buy products marked with the Fair Trade symbol knowing that at home or abroad more of the profit gets to the farmer".

2006

20 November 2006
Lindsay Hoyle MP initiates EDM 166: FARMGATE PRICES calling on the Government to work with supermarkets to ensure that UK dairy farmers have a minimum farmgate price set for milk at 20 pence per litre.

2007

18 December 2007
MP Roger Williams presents Early Day Motion 622: FAIR TRADE FOR BRITISH FARMING

2008

27 February 2008
MP Tim Farron introduces EDM 1067: Country Living magazine Fair Trade for British Farmers campaign.

February 2008
Mick Bates, Member of the Welsh Assembly: "The Fair Trade brand was established to help farmers in the developing world receive a fair deal on their produce. However, I can't help thinking that its principles are relevant to the Welsh dairy farming industry.
Over the last year I have been campaigning on this issue in Wales.
I have put questions to the First Minister Rhodri Morgan, laid down statements of opinion in the Assembly and written to all the major super markets seeking their support.
The results have been positive. The First Minister agreed to examine the idea further, my fellow AMs gave their support and the supermarkets were not cold to the idea either".

November 2008
Joint publicity from the National Farmers’ Union Scotland and the Scottish Fair Trade Forum:
"At first, Fairtrade and Scottish farming might seem unlikely bedfellows since Fairtrade is generally associated with the developing world. In reality however, NFUS and the SFTF share key common values. We both work to ensure food is produced in a manner that promotes and enhances the sustainability of agriculture and the wellbeing of families who rely on it. We both want a ‘Fair Deal’ for producers, whether for farmers in Scotland or in places like Malawi."

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