Fairtrade Fortnight starts on Monday 26th February and runs until 11th March.

When you buy goods that have the Fairtrade logo it means that certain standards have been set. For the producers workers rights are protected and it includes environmental safeguards. There is also a minimum price set and money is reinvested in communities.

 ‘Come on in’ is the national Fairtrade Campaign fortnight and invites “you to come in to the world of the people who grow our food to see what life can be like when farmers and workers aren’t paid fairly. “

The Orkney Fairtrade group are organising Treasure Hunts in Kirkwall and Stromness.

The Kirkwall treasure hunt  has been put together with the Kirkwall BID. There are 20 mugs hiding in local participating businesses . The “Buy Fair and Buy Local” mug has a Fairtrade sticker on its base. On your entry form you list the stickers then complete the tie-breaker.  There are categories for primary and school age children and adults.

Stromness is also running the event.

You can pick up an entry form from the libraries in Kirkwall and Stromness or from one of the participating businesses. Look for the  “Come on in to Fairtrade” Mug Hunt sticker.

Watch out for Fairtrade window displays and displays instore too, special events in Orkney’s schools and churches, and see St Magnus Cathedral lit in blue and green on Friday March 2nd in celebration of the two weeks of activities.

Fairtrade is the most widely recognised ethical label in the world and one that has paved a more conscious way of shopping since it started more than 22 years ago.

It currently works with 1.6 million farmers and workers across 74 developing countries, providing a safety net against volatile market prices and the Fairtrade Premium – often the only resource to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions.

Marcial Quintero a member of Coobana, a Fairtrade banana co-operative in Panama said:

“Before joining Fairtrade we didn’t see any benefits, development or profit. The price we used to receive per box wasn’t enough to cover our costs – and for 17 years the price didn’t change. Since starting with Fairtrade it’s made a mega-revolution in our lives.”

Adam Gardner, Communities Campaigns Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation said:

“It’s a scandalous reality that millions of farmers and workers are being ripped off despite working hard to provide the products we love. Unfairness in global trade is rooted in centuries of exploitation. Yet across the globe, millions of hard-working producers like Marcial are unravelling this legacy. They’re fighting for a fair deal, supported by Fairtrade, earning their way out of poverty and transforming their communities.”

“More people choosing, sharing and shouting about Fairtrade in the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight will open doors for more producers like Marcial to break the stranglehold of poverty prices.”

fairtrade.org.uk