Cardiff: the first Fairtrade capital

In 2004, Cardiff was given the title of the UK’s first Fairtrade city by the Fairtrade Foundation on St David’s Day 2004, beating Edinburgh to the title after demonstrating that more places in the city stocked fair-trade goods. The city’s cafes, shops, businesses, schools and supermarkets have all committed to stocking fair-trade products, thereby offering Third World farmers a better deal than they would have otherwise received on the free market.

There are now over 150 shops, cafes and organisations selling and using fairly traded products in Cardiff. owever, Cardiff University has yet to join this growing list. By the end of the academic year the Union plans to be certified as a Fairtrade Union (a title Swansea University has already gained) and this will have a positive impact on Cardiff’s Fairtrade capital status as Cardiff University is one of the largest institutions and employers in Cardiff. This will ultimately aid the efforts being made towards Wales becoming the world’s first Fairtrade country.

There is a phenomenal amount of support in Cardiff for Fairtrade, with organisations such as the Oxfam Cymru campaigning to stamp out ‘trade poverty’ in the Third World by ensuring farmers get a fair price for their produce rather than being exploited on the free market.

While Fairtrade cannot solve the problems of the developing countries, it does ensure fairness for poor farmers, enabling them to stay on their land, continue to farm and to invest in their future.

During Fairtrade fortnight Cardiff has hosted events including promotions and food-tasting in order to encourage consumers to change their shopping habits to guarantee better deals for the Third World countries. For more details about events that have been held through out Wales visit the Wales Fairtrade Forum website at: www.gwe.nu/fairtrade/.>

UK sales of Fairtrade products are running at an amazing £300m a year and due to the increasing popularity of Fairtrade goods this figure is set to soar in the years to come; however, change is still not happening quickly enough for many of the world’s poorest farmers.

‘Change Today: Choose Fairtrade’ was the theme for this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight, which calls on individuals, community groups and universities among others to scale up their activity in supporting Fairtrade. As Cardiff is a Fairtrade capital this message is taken seriously, and this is why it is important for our university to support Fairtrade and be part of the movement for positive change on trade.

One in two people now say they recognise the Fairtrade mark and many more would agree that Fairtrade products are tastier. Have you tried fair-trade bananas?

As part of Oxfam Cymru’s Fairtrade Wales campaign the Assembly government is being urged to supply Fairtrade bananas to schools across Wales. It is estimated that local authorities give primary schools in Wales 17.5 million bananas every year. If these bananas were certified as Fairtrade imagine what difference that would make to the lives of farmers and their families in the Caribbean.

Cardiff cares about helping the Third World. The public support for Fairtrade has soared in most cities in the UK due to various campaigns, raising awareness of the problems farmers face to produce the food we enjoy eating. Oxfam Cymru’s Make Trade Fair campaign demonstrated and continues to demonstrate the public support that exists in Wales for urgent reform of international trade rules.

Welsh actor Rhys Ifans has also spoken about his support for Fairtrade and making poverty history claiming that Wales can set an example for the rest of the world to follow. Now it’s time for Cardiff University students to show their support for Fairtrade by purchasing Fairtrade products available in the Union as opposed to buying cheaper alternatives. You can feel sure that the extra pennies you spend on a chocolate bar will help farmers in Third World countries in one way or another.

The cost of Fairtrade goods was a little more expensive but prices are coming down all the time. Most tea and coffee is the same price as any other supermarket brand. It is a myth that Fairtrade products are a lot more expensive. If it is slightly more expensive than supermarket brands it will only be by a couple of pence. What are a few pence to us if we know that the extra change we give can help farmers in different parts of the world lead a better life? It makes eating a chocolate bar that much more ‘divine’.

A wide variety of Fairtrade foods are available in the Oxfam shop on Albany road as well as Fairtrade T-shirts which are also available in the Union. So show your support for Fairtrade by trying something different and choosing to munch on Fairtrade chocolates and sweets or gulp fair-trade coffee, tea or juice in the weeks after Fairtrade Fortnight.