Doug Brown

Neil, I enjoy your blog but I cannot let your extraordinary comment about New Zealand lamb pass. NZ lamb is a fine product enjoyed throughout the world, however it is not now, nor has it ever been “the best lamb sold in the UK”.

It is undeniably popular in the UK as it offers a option when home produced lamb is out of season, it is a lower cost alternative often sold frozen.

The best lamb sold in the UK comes from the western side of the country in particular from the Lake district and best of all from Wales. Welsh lamb is widely acknowledged as World class and rightly so.

Neil Pendock

Hi Doug

Will you allow me “best imported lamb”? Alas, here in the former colonies, have only heard about salt marsh lamb on BBC Lifestyle and never tasted.

Cheers

George,Smithfield Wine Merchants UK

As far as I’m aware the Fairtrade Foundation charge wine producers 2% on sales and bury the producers under mountains of paperwork. A number are switching to the Swiss “Fairly Traded” mark charges less and is less beaurocratic.

Doug Brown

Neil, how about best imported lamb if we discount imports from Ireland.

Salt marsh lamb, very good, upland lamb has it’s advocates as well, as always it’s all about the ‘terroir’ and you know where that leads us. Lamb en-primeur, first growth lamb etc. etc. Surely it’s long overdue, if you google protected food names you will find a list of some 38 food products thought worthy of this accolade, 14 cheeses and six (count em), six different kinds of lamb.

Food for thought???

Arianna Baldo

Dear Neil

there were talks within the Fairtrade system regarding the possibility of requiring bottling at source to foster local employment. However, this was dismissed with the fear that many Fairtrade wineries could lose contracts for bulk sales – which would have a bad effect on the communities that grow Fairtrade wine grapes (namely, less Fairtrade Development Premium).

With regards to license fees, in South Africa we charge 2% on sales and this money is used to promote Fairtrade products and to educate South Africans about fair trading and sustainability. European organisations have different fee structures that vary from country to country, but they all are roughly between 1 and 3,5%. However, yes, part of our license fee income goes to Bonn as membership fees and to support their work as international platform (and standard setting).

Lastly, we hope that WIETA’s work will manage to increase overall standards in the wine industry. This could be an advantage for Fairtrade in the long-run.
It can be argued that given that Fairtrade is the ‘gold’ standard of sustainability (few in the world can compete with our high and strict criteria, let alone our inherent developmental focus), an betterment of the wine industry’s standard could allow more wineries to take the next step to Fairtrade certification.

Fair Regards!
Arianna Baldo, Business Manager
Fairtrade Label South Africa

Mr Chow

Much clever talking, too clevering for Mr Chow. Cut the business and look at picture of big banana holding ugly woman.

pinto

Iniquity aside, what possible sense does it make for a Fairtrade producer to sign up for WIETA as well?

I sincerely hope WIETA’s not making enemies since Fairtrade wines (as oppposed to other Fairtrade produce) generally, and unfortunately in my experience deservedly, don’t have a great reputation. There’s definitely a market for a WIETA-like approval that one’s favourite SA producer is making some effort on labour issues. The “but we have communal satellite tv facilites on the farm” argument might work its charms in SA, it doesn’t elsewhere.

Jeb Pretorius

Fairtrade (FT) and the likes should all be non-profit organisations funded by world money – if they have to exist at all.

FT, however well-intended, smacks of Mafia-like non-negotiables, modern (as in commercial leverage) new colonial or capitalist patronising and Church of Rome-like hypocrisy and paternalism through powe, money and holier-than-thou conniving of the first degree.

If you have to be ethically police a particular industry, let the free media do so.

If only FT could focus on the pre-production agri products. Why not look at the fertiliser, pesticide and herbicide industries, which control production to the tune of probably 60%. FT cannot and want not, because the “low life” primary producers are soft and convenient targets for ethical extortion.

FT and the likes are born from the all encompassing power of supermarket chains, which willy nilly are able to demand added costs from producers’ bottom line in the name of the father of maximumprofit (extended by butchering terms from which to suck producers even dryer to make money and interest on that same money…), the son of process and packaged greed and the holy ghost of so-called consumer protection.

In these days I do appreciate anarchists. This is just the medicine for FT. I am tired of being over-regulated and mothered by pale faces just so that a doos in a suit and tie somewhere in prizzy Europe can feel good about himself. Heck, if these do-gooders so much want to bath in glory, let them all adopt babies from Malawi.

Regulate this, arseholes.

PS. This does not mean that there is no need for Wieta in SA? It is just another debate.

Arianna Baldo

Dear Jeb,

I am quite amazed by your critique loaded with powerful judgements and strong connotations.

I would suggest you go visit a Fairtrade farm and ask the farmer and the farm workers whether they think Fairtrade has been ‘new colonial or capitalist patronising and Church of Rome-like hypocrisy’ for them.

I am sure you will get loads of unexpected responses!

In the meanwhile, we appreciate the debate and also to learn why people do not trust Fairtrade and the likes. This is actually important for us to improve our system and try change your mind in the future.

Fair Regards,
Arianna Baldo
Fairtrade Label SA

Pieter Cronje

Hi all. I am kind of tired of all the comments, debate, arguments, etc but guess it is unavoidable. I would invite all commentators to visit en experience ethical trade in action and sure my fellow licensees would welcome you as well. The two most important parties in the value chain are the producers and consumers. If they are happy why all the nonsense and non-income producing energy wasted on commentary. I and our producers and Jointbodies welcome you to come and visit and experience first-hand. It works for us and is baked into our value systems be it under FT, Fairly traded, Wieta, etc. Thanks

Jeb Pretorius

Arianna,
The issue is not with the welfare or not of workers and farmers already “ethically put in line”. It is bullshit that the consumer and producer should be happy. Consumers are being sold to, advertised to and solicited into believing ethical control is just and well, fair. Producers have no choice. What would you do as producer when your channel tells you to conform or never try and sell to us ever again. In principle FT is good and when put in practice it has no reason not to work equitably. But it is pushing towards where it is not a choice anymore.

Apon

Not bad.