Statements on Fair Trade - 4th March 2008

Statements on Fair Trade - 4th March 2008
Senator David Norris: And then I will ignore you.
I compliment Senator Quinn on his extraordinary courage and honesty. He has gone right to the heart of the matter. It is good to hear that from the heart of the commercial world. What we are dealing with is a historical discrepancy between what was paid to producers at ground level and the enormous profits made by large corporations. We have only to consider the phrase "banana republic" to see this. Bananas are one of the original products for which this was the case. The Americans, for example, colonised parts of Central America commercially and turned people to slave labour in the interests of large banana companies.
I remember some years ago there was a significant row about the production of chocolate, which is a very ordinary thing. Within the past ten years-----
Senator Mary M. White: It is not ordinary.
Senator David Norris: I stand reproved. I am sure Senator White, who is a decent person, will accept that conditions in the cacao harvest in certain central American countries were completely abominable, involving the exploitation of child labour.
It is interesting that when the Fairtrade movement began in the 1950s and 1960s, it was largely a religious movement. That is still reflected to a certain extent in the organisations involved, which include Christian Aid, Comhlámh, Concern, Oxfam, Irish Aid, Action Aid and Trócaire, as well as some trade union groups. We should pay tribute to them. The political organisation was started in the Netherlands in the 1960s. Senator Quinn played an interesting role by being involved in the 1996 launch of Bewley's Fairtrade coffee in Ireland. The association with Bewley's is appropriate because the Bewleys were a great Quaker family who had a sense of justice and fair play. The interesting thing is the way in which the market has grown exponentially. After the launch in 1996, sales of Fairtrade coffee reached €1 million in 2002, while in 2007 they reached €20 million. That is an enormous and marvellous increase.
We have improved on this with the development of Fairtrade labelling. In Europe, some Fairtrade-marked goods have a 20% national market share, and sales are growing by 40% every year, which is interesting. Towns all over Ireland have become involved by having the local council pass a resolution and setting proportionate targets per head of population in terms of retail outlets, catering companies, and so on.
Acting Chairman: Unless the Senator wishes to silence Senator Mullen, I ask him to finish.
Senator David Norris: I certainly do not.
The fair trade movement creates opportunities for economically disadvantaged people, improves transparency and accountability and builds capacity. The payment of a fair price, negotiated locally, is important. It also contributes to gender equality by ensuring that men and women are treated equally in local areas. It ensures safe and healthy working conditions and better environmental practices. Everybody in the House wishes to support Fairtrade. Representatives of Fairtrade were in the Houses last week, in the restaurant, and we were all at the launch of the Fairtrade event at the Royal College of Physicians. I am happy to yield to Senator Mullen.