Scotland Fair Trade Nation (First Anniversary)
The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-09000, in the name of George Adam, on Scotland’s first year as a fair trade nation. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes that 25 February 2014 marks the first anniversary of Scotland achieving fair trade nation status; congratulates everyone who has continued their commitment to fair trade in the last year and who will be holding events during Fairtrade Fortnight 2014 from 24 February to 9 March in Paisley and across the country; supports the work of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum in promoting the deepening and widening of awareness and purchasing of fairly traded goods and who will be hosting fair trade visitors to Scotland from Nicaragua, Nepal and Colombia during this Fairtrade Fortnight; considers that Scotland needs to continue to lead the global campaign to make trade fair to honour its fair trade nation status; celebrates the achievements of fair trade businesses here in Scotland in leading the way in showing that trade can be mutually beneficial for producers and consumers, and welcomes moves to encourage public bodies and private business to procure fairly traded products.
12:33
I see it as a particular honour to lead this fair trade debate a year after Scotland’s historic achievement of fair trade nation status.
For me, fair trade is not just about becoming a fair trade town, county or nation; that is but a starting point. It is about what we can do in the world to make a difference and to change people’s lives, and it is about how consumers purchase goods throughout the world.
In Paisley, which is my home town and constituency, Labour Provost John McDowell started the ball rolling for us. It was always cross-party work, and the aim was always something that everyone worked towards. When the Scottish National Party administration eventually came in, we went for fair trade county status. Again, that was not just about getting that status; it was about ensuring that we delivered much more. It is not just about box ticking and getting the stamp of approval; it is about making a difference.
Fair trade originated with small local groups—churches and community groups—working hard in their areas to make a difference in the world. Some people may say that it is a bunch of do-gooders trying to impose their ideals on others, but we can see the difference that fair trade can make in the countries that it affects. As co-convener, with James Kelly, of the cross-party group on fair trade, I can say that we have seen the difference in many of the people who have come to speak to us. In the past year, we have had people over from Malawi and from various other countries that are experiencing difficulties. At last night’s meeting, we heard from people from Nepal.
Last year, Henry Kalombu and Howard Msukwa—I am sorry if have pronounced their names wrong—from Malawi came to talk to us about Kilombero rice. They told us how difficult it was for them to ensure that they could deliver their products and make a change for their children and young people so that they could be educated and have opportunities in life. They explained to us how working as a co-operative had transformed their lives. It is not only how they deliver their rice and bring it to market that has been transformed—they went from balancing it on their heads to using a mechanised process—but it has made a difference for the next generation, because they can now afford to educate their children and family members.
That is what fair trade is all about and that is how fair trade works. What makes it exciting for those of us who are involved in the fair trade movement is our seeing and hearing about the difference that it makes to people’s lives. It is not just about buying a bottle of red wine or a bar of chocolate that has the Fairtrade stamp on it.
Yesterday, some young women from Nepal came to our cross-party group meeting. They represented Get Paper Industry, which is a co-operative that produces handmade paper products using all types of waste paper. Anita Roddick’s company, The Body Shop, gave the co-operative an opportunity to produce The Body Shop’s packaging, thereby representing Ms Roddick’s ideal of ensuring that everything is done properly. The Body Shop went as far as to use fairly produced and fairly traded packaging for its products. Oh, to live in a world that had Anita Roddick’s ideals. That is our aim for the future. It will make a massive difference.
We should not only support such initiatives; we should tell everyone the difference that they can make in the world. This is not just about us sitting here, being seen to be doing something good and patting ourselves on the back. Whether it is as a fair trade nation, town or county, or at individual level, it is about considering what difference we can make and the kind of world that we want to live in.
Get Paper Industry was established in 1985 and has reached the stage at which it is able to educate young women. It has had to deal with the caste system in Nepal—a country where young women are not encouraged to go into full-time education. It has transformed many lives and now has five schools. Making a difference in people’s lives is the exciting part of fair trade.
George Adam has mentioned food, drink and paper. Would he say that clothing is an area in which we need to do more in terms of fair trade?
I agree. I was attracted to fair trade as a young man in relation to sportswear manufacture, which is a particularly difficult area. The Commonwealth games is working with the Fairtrade Foundation in trying to be a fair trade games. However, we still have the difficulty that a pair of trainers or a T-shirt from a sportswear manufacturer can cost hundreds of pounds, but costs pennies to produce. In the past, the Minister for External Affairs and International Development has used the example of footballs made in factories in Pakistan whose cost is phenomenal by the time they get over here. We need to examine the manufacture of sports goods.
Does George Adam agree that with fair trade it is important not only to pay a decent price for produce but to have manufacturing in the core countries? On Saturday I attended the 10th anniversary of Fairlie fair trade village, in my constituency, which was the first fair trade community in Scotland. Manufacturers from Ecuador were there who not only export plantains but grow, pack and transport them, which gives their community the opportunity to learn new skills. They add value to their community, instead of just being a primary producer.
You have 15 seconds remaining, Mr Adam.
Kenneth Gibson has made a valid point about the whole production process, which has many difficulties that we have to address.
I will tell the minister about some of the issues that I have come across in the past year. Procurement is an on-going issue. We have the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill, but procurement is still an issue for a lot of people in the public sector in Scotland. We need to find a way to tap into that and ensure that we can deal with it.
Will you draw to a close, please?
I will, Presiding Officer.
There are many positives and negatives regarding the Fairtrade brand. There are things that are fairly traded but for which it is difficult to get the Fairtrade brand. Kilombero rice, for example, does not have the Fairtrade logo, because it is very expensive and it is necessary to get other individuals to vote for it.
In closing—
Finally.
If you will give me a second, Presiding Officer, I would like to say that the debate is about more than saying that we are a fair trade nation and then patting ourselves on the back. It is about our Scottish values, how we see ourselves in the world and the kind of world that we want to live in. That, for me, is what fair trade is all about.
Thank you very much. You must stop, Mr Adam. The next speaker is Patricia Ferguson.
12:41
I congratulate George Adam on securing today’s debate and giving us the opportunity to celebrate the first anniversary of Scotland’s being a fair trade nation.
It was not easy to become a fair trade nation—nor should it have been. It needed the efforts of churches, schools, colleges, universities, individuals and local authorities to make it happen. However, as George Adam rightly said, it was never a tick-box exercise, and we need to continue our efforts if we are to live up to the commitment that we have made and maintain that status.
My home city of Glasgow became a fair trade city in 2006 and successfully renewed its status in 2013. As part of that process, a survey identified that 200 shops and catering outlets now sell fairly traded products. That is a significant number, as I am sure the Presiding Officer will agree.
I want to talk about an initiative that Glasgow City Council—in particular, the lord provost, Sadie Docherty—has taken forward and which is helping to keep the issue live. As we have heard before, in June 2013 two Malawi rice farmers visited Glasgow as part of a tour that was organised by the importers Just Trading Scotland. The two farmers—Howard Msukwa and Susen Ntende—visited a number of schools, including St Roch’s secondary school in my constituency. They also visited Glasgow city chambers, where they met the deputy lord provost.
Howard and Susen explained that, in Malawi, secondary school education is not free, but a Malawian rice farmer who can sell 90kg of rice makes sufficient profit to send one of their children to school. Glasgow City Council agreed that it would develop a way of assisting that campaign, which has culminated in the Lord Provost’s Malawi rice challenge. Within the city council’s departments and its arm’s-length external organisations, staff are buying and selling rice to friends and family with a target of selling 1,080 1kg bags of rice, which will generate enough profit to allow 12 children to go to high school.
Glaswegians like a challenge, as you will know, Presiding Officer. I am told that in Exchange house alone there are only a couple of bags of rice left and that competition to see which department can sell the most rice is fierce. Indeed, it might be the lord provost’s rice challenge to some, but to others it is nothing less than rice wars. It seems to me that that is an enjoyable and imaginative way to demonstrate the value of the fair trade premium and to get more people interested in the issue at the same time. Of course, the end result is that at least 12 young Malawians will be given the gift of education. However, it does not end there; many of the bags of rice that are bought by city council employees have been donated to food banks, which has, in effect, doubled the value of those simple bags of rice.
I congratulate Just Trading Scotland, the lord provost and everyone who has been involved in the challenge and I look forward to seeing just how much rice is actually sold and, more important, how many young Malawians can be helped to continue their education.
Parliament can be proud of the role that it has played in encouraging fair trade in Scotland, but I suggest that we might go a step further and begin to sell fairly traded products in the Parliament shop; I am not aware that we do so at the moment. It could start with a small number of items, such as the attractive paper products from the Get Paper Industry project that George Adam mentioned. Also, it need not take up much space, but it would be an excellent way to demonstrate our on-going commitment and the importance of fair trade to us and, more important, to our friends in other countries.
12:45
I, too, begin by congratulating George Adam on securing this important debate.
I am pleased that we are acknowledging the achievement of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum in increasing public awareness of Fairtrade fortnight and of fairly traded products. Scotland should be proud to be leading the way in promoting sustainable production and commerce.
Fair trade is all about making sure that products that are exported internationally from developing countries to developed countries are produced under fair conditions. That means promoting payment of fair prices, safe and healthy working conditions and responsible environmental practices.
In a sense, it is unfortunate that the fair trade movement is even needed, and that corporate responsibility and responsible trading and sourcing are not already commonplace. However, it is a positive sign that sales of fairly traded products are increasing year on year, and today exceed £1.5 billion in the United Kingdom alone. One in every three bananas that are sold in the UK is Fairtrade certified, almost half of all bagged sugar that is sold in the UK is Fairtrade certified, and a quarter of all coffee that is sold in the UK is Fairtrade certified. That shows that people are getting the message and are increasingly receptive to the work, ethos, and overall aims and objectives of the movement.
We have heard that last year Scotland officially became a fair trade nation, having reached the required number of councils, cities and people that support the movement. I have attended several fair trade events across the Borders, which are a credit to the Borders groups that contributed to Scotland’s being awarded the coveted fair trade status. Ever since Selkirk was awarded fair trade status more than a year ago, I am pleased to report that support has been growing across the Borders for the fair trade movement. A number of other Borders towns are looking to follow Selkirk’s lead, and a Borders fair trade steering group has been established, so I hope that the Borders will soon be designated as a fair trade region. That would strengthen Scotland’s credentials as a fair trade nation, and show that we all support producers getting a better deal.
Of course, it is not only in the Borders that fair trade is gaining support. During last week and this, events are being held across the country to promote the work of the fair trade campaign. From Selkirk to St Andrews, from Airdrie to Aberdeen, communities across Scotland will be learning about the great work that is being done by the fair trade movement, and how they can get involved.
Fair trade is the only way that we can guarantee a fair deal for food producers, who so often get squeezed and are left with little money for what they make. Through the initiative, many people in developing countries now receive far more money for their goods and it is important that we do what we can to support it. Too often at the checkout, we are more concerned about the price tag than we are about the origin of the products that we are buying and the effort that goes into their production.
One of the key achievements of the Fairtrade Foundation was its setting of a minimum price that a buyer of Fairtrade products has to pay to a producer organisation. Most products—including coffee, cocoa, tea and bananas—have been set a minimum price that covers the costs of sustainable production. That ensures that local producers are not squeezed out of the market by larger producers that are more able to bear the burden of reduced profit margins. However, fair trade is not just about prices; it is also about standards that ensure that products are produced and traded under fair and environmentally responsible conditions.
Whether it is buying items with the official Fairtrade logo on them, or drumming up support at a local school, office or community group, anyone can help to support fair trade, and it is our responsibility in this Parliament to lead by example.
12:49
I join everyone else in the chamber in thanking George Adam for bringing this very important debate before Parliament today. It is just a shame that we do not have more time to explore the issue in more depth. I thought that George Adam’s impassioned explanation of the benefits of fair trade, which go beyond commerce and into supporting communities, was an important message to take from the debate.
I remember my own journey in fair trade beginning back in the 1980s, when I—and, I am sure, many others in the chamber—would not buy oranges from South Africa. That very small political but also commercial act has now, through the Fairtrade standard, become a coherent worldwide movement for social justice, rather than just an attempt at protest.
George Adam explained how important it is for communities abroad to be involved in fair trade. I will concentrate on some of the initiatives in my constituency of Strathkelvin and Bearsden, where we see the value of working in our community to support communities all round the world.
I am short of time, but this morning I was, off the top of my head, able to identify nine fair trade initiatives that are happening across Strathkelvin and Bearsden. East Dunbartonshire became a fair trade zone in 2007. Lenzie became a fair trade town in April 2013. Bearsden and Milngavie have a working group that was started in 2012. We are nearly there; we are about to put our application in. Last year, ED’s Cycle Co-op held a fair trade festival. Lenzie fair trade town is holding a fair trade baking competition this Saturday. Guess who is going there to judge it? I am not a baker—as my mum would be one of the first to say—but I am good at eating baking.
George Adam and Patricia Ferguson told us about the women who came from Nepal, from Get Paper Industry, to talk to the cross-party group last night. For international women’s day, those women are coming to talk to women in Kirkintilloch to explain to us how important it is that my community support their community in Nepal.
George Adam has referred to Paisley’s Just Trading Scotland, which of course is in partnership with the Coach House in Balmore in my constituency. I am not saying that just to boast; more than £1 million has been raised through fair trading, and that money can be put back into the communities.
One thing that I want to concentrate on is the fact that between 2012 and 2013 nurseries in East Dunbartonshire piloted being fair trade nurseries. That was so successful that the Scottish Fair Trade Forum is going to roll out that programme across Scotland. I think that at least eight other local authorities are looking to be involved.
That is so important, because one is never—even at three or four years of age—too young to be a responsible citizen. When a child of three or four is learning about fair trade, they take that home to their parents and their grandparents, so they are taking the message forward.
Procurement is an important element. I know that George Adam did not have enough time to go into it. We talked about it in the debate on the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill last week. In response to John Mason’s intervention, I point out that one of my constituents, Angela Oakley, has been looking at fairly traded and fairly procured school clothing and protective clothing. It is so interesting that we all accept that the next step forward is to look at fairly traded and ethically traded procurement.
We have come a long way from the days when I was refusing to buy South African oranges. It is about helping Scotland to help across the world, because Scotland as a nation is a good global citizen.
12:54
I join others in congratulating George Adam on securing this debate, which allows us to recognise and celebrate Scotland’s achievement in attaining fair trade nation status.
Patricia Ferguson was right to point to the great deal of work that has been done across the country in getting us to this point. As many speakers have said, that is reflected in action happening at a very local level. I am sure that it will come as no surprise that I will spend my time reflecting on some of the work that is being done in Orkney.
Westray and Papa Westray were very much in the vanguard. It was a privilege for me to be at the launch of their bid to attain fair trade island status. It was obvious that there was genuine enthusiasm for that objective among people of all ages across the community. It is no surprise to me that Westray school has reached FairAchiever status, which I understand is the highest award under the new scheme of awards for schools. Westray’s links through the school, the church and the wider community with Malawi, particularly with the district of Chiwalo, has informed a lot of the activity on the ground. The minister will be aware of our mutual friend Kester Chiwalo’s recent visit to Orkney and Scotland to highlight the benefits of fair trade to the community to which he belongs.
Following in Westray’s footsteps are the schools that I attended. The Sanday school and Kirkwall grammar school have achieved their own landmarks. Sanday achieved Fairtrade school status last August. Again, the links there with Malawi are very strong, in that case with the community around Minga. Kirkwall grammar school achieved Fairtrade school status last month, on the back of a year or more of activity within the school and in the wider community. The driving force was Theo Ogbhembe, who explained in an email to me the benefits that it has delivered. He said:
“It’s great for KGS, putting it at the heart of the movement for change; it’s great for young people because it’s fun and is part of something happening all over the world; and it’s great for farmers, who are earning a fair price, and feeling the support of people on the other side of the world.”
KGS was commended by the Fairtrade Foundation in particular for its use of social media and for interacting globally with supporters of fair trade. However, KGS is acting locally as well. I was in Kirkwall town centre last Saturday when young musicians from KGS were entertaining shoppers while others were handing out leaflets. Thanks to the efforts of Harry Sandison, an ardent supporter of the fair trade movement, I have now written to my colleague Vince Cable highlighting the need to increase the proportion of fair-traded bananas that are imported into this country.
The commitment to fair trade in Orkney obviously goes far wider than the schools. I pay tribute to the work of Orkney Islands Council, which has played a leading role; the Fairtrade Foundation acknowledged that the council has led
“a genuinely community led campaign.”
Orkney achieved fair trade zone status less than 15 months after the steering group was set up. Gill Smee, a leading light in the movement, explained that the work linking promotion of locally produced food, drink and crafts with those of fair-traded status has been a key plank in the campaign under the banner, “Buy Fair and Buy Local in Orkney.” It has resulted, for example, in the use of Crantit Dairy milk in fair-traded coffee and fair-traded chocolate on Orkney ice cream. I am conscious that we are in the run-up to lunch time, so I should probably stop there. However, I am sure that the minister would agree that those are examples of how collaborative action—being better together, if you will—can allow us to have the best of both worlds.
Again, I congratulate George Adam on bringing this important debate to the Parliament. I think that there are exciting times ahead as we extend the work that we are doing under fair trade nation status. I look forward to the minister’s comments.
12:58
I congratulate George Adam on securing the members’ business debate slot for such an important issue—not only for Paisley, important as it is, but for the wider world.
Scotland’s status as a fair trade nation is something that we can all be proud of a year on, but we should be equally proud of the efforts of communities across Scotland in the work that they have done to make their towns and villages fair trade settlements, whether that be Lenzie, Orkney, Selkirk or Glasgow. In my constituency, Cupar has been a fair trade town since 2007; St Andrews is in its ninth year, having been established as a fair trade town on St Andrew’s day in 2005; and Fife as a whole is, of course, a fair trade council area. I think that there are nearly 100 fair trade towns, villages and zones around Scotland, and many more are striving for that accolade. The individual community efforts link up to afford Scotland as a whole the title of fair trade nation.
Why is fair trade so important? A poll last year showed that nine in 10 Scots are aware of the concept of fair trade. People recognise that, at its most basic level, fair trade means exactly what its name suggests. We know that encouraging fair trade is an absolutely essential part of tackling and eradicating poverty in many of the world’s poorest countries. The Scottish Fair Trade Forum has identified three key areas of sustainable development that together encompass the concept of fair trade: social development, economic development and environmental development. All three are enshrined in the Scottish Government’s international development framework, and the Minister for External Affairs and International Development has made high-profile visits to Malawi and Zambia in recent months to further those aims. I look forward to hearing his thoughts in his concluding remarks.
The sustainable economic development strand of the Scotland Malawi Partnership and the Malawi development programme puts a significant focus on the important role of fair trade in growing a more prosperous future for Malawi— a country with which Scotland has had a close and enduring relationship since David Livingstone travelled there in 1859.
In my constituency of North East Fife, the St Andrews fair trade town campaign is working hard to promote the cause of fair trade, and last year it managed to ensure that the fair trade status was renewed. The group has produced a fair trade directory of shops, restaurants, cafes, community organisations, workplaces, visitor accommodation and wholesalers in the town, and during Fairtrade fortnight it will be handing out copies of the directory to shoppers in one of the town’s supermarkets. The group is keen to promote local businesses that trade fairly whether they use the official Fairtrade logo or whether they do not, for whatever reason.
The University of St Andrews has developed its own fair trade policy, with student societies working together with the university administration to deliver an ethical approach to procurement that extends from the highest levels right down to things such as the use of fair trade products in catering at university functions. In Cupar, we had a banana hour on Saturday morning. That themed event allowed people to exchange banana recipes and purchase Fairtrade goods in recognition of Fairtrade fortnight. That and the hundreds of other events around Scotland prove that the grass-roots approach to encouraging fair trade is working.
As we increasingly realise the importance of equitable trade, fighting climate change and ensuring that people in developing countries are paid a fair wage, we see that the concept of fair trade has never been more relevant. It truly is an idea whose time has come. It is certainly not bananas, nor even all about bananas. I hope that the trend will continue and that more communities will be inspired by the initiatives around Scotland, establish their own fair trade status and help to keep Scotland a fair trade nation.
13:02
I congratulate my fellow co-convener of the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on fair trade, George Adam, on securing this debate to mark the first anniversary of Scotland becoming a fair trade nation, and I welcome to the gallery Calderwood primary school from my constituency. Through the years, it has taken an interest in fair trade and a number of pupils have gone on to be active in fair trade groups in Cambuslang and Rutherglen. It is great that the school is here to witness today’s debate.
It is important to mark the first anniversary of Scotland becoming a fair trade nation. There was a fair bit of activity throughout the country to celebrate that—I remember one particular event in Perth that was attended by hundreds of fair trade activists and included a number of stalls and celebrations to mark that landmark event.
However, it is also important to recognise the contribution that fair trade makes and what it actually means to the communities that trade goods and to Scotland. There was a good practical example of that last night at the meeting of the cross-party group on fair trade. As colleagues have mentioned, we heard from Get Paper Industry in Nepal about how successful it has been in growing its fair trade product, but also the effect that it has had on its community. We heard the story of how the schooling in the area was very basic 20 years ago, and that many of the young women did not get any schooling at all, but the group’s success has meant not only that young women have been able to get into education but that facilities have vastly improved. The group demonstrated that through its presentation.
That shows us that the important thing is not just that people get a fair price, but the impact on the countries throughout the world from which we purchase fair trade products. We can link that back to Scotland and groups such as those in Rutherglen and Cambuslang. A real momentum has been building up over the years. In 2006, opinion polls showed that only 64 per cent of people in Scotland recognised the concept of fair trade, whereas the figure has now grown to 87 per cent, which highlights the impression that it has made.
In my local area, towns such as Rutherglen and Cambuslang have achieved fair trade status as a result of hard campaigning work by local churches, schools and community groups, with young and old alike coming together. One such group that has been very successful is Stonelaw high school, which has traded £160,000 in fair trade products and has one of the most successful school groups not only in Scotland but throughout the UK.
It is important that we not only mark the anniversary, but keep the momentum going and look at what we can do as we move forward. The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill that is going through Parliament deals with public contracts to the value of £10 billion, which gives us an opportunity not only to showcase fair trade products but to ensure that we promote them properly through our local procurement practices.
I congratulate George Adam on bringing the debate to the chamber. We need to learn the lessons of recent years, and from our first year as a fair trade nation, and move forward with great momentum.
13:06
It is a great honour to close the debate on behalf of the Scottish Government. I thank George Adam for bringing the debate to the chamber, and for his personal commitment to fair trade, which started long before his election to the Parliament. When he was a local authority councillor, he was—as he said in his opening remarks—very keen on promoting the issue.
I will reflect on some of the excellent contributions from members in the chamber as I go through my remarks, and I add my welcome to that of other members to the pupils from Calderwood primary school in James Kelly’s constituency—I am delighted that they are here.
The Scottish Government has funded the Scottish Fair Trade Forum since 2007 because of the importance of fair trade, not only the products themselves but their effects throughout the supply chain. I am pleased to announce that we have agreed to continue that funding until 2017 to enable the forum to develop further support for fair trade among all sections of Scottish society.
The forum was instrumental in driving forward the campaign for Scotland to become a fair trade nation; we received the accolade last year and 25 February marked one year since that fantastic achievement. Since then, as James Kelly said, we have continued to build support for fair trade through our work with the forum. In the past 12 months, five towns have newly achieved fair trade status; 18 towns have renewed their status; two local authority areas, Inverclyde and Orkney, have newly achieved fair trade zone status; and two further local authorities are preparing to submit their applications. Another college has achieved fair trade status, and three more are actively pursuing it. An additional 153 schools are registered with the Fairtrade schools programme, bringing the total number of schools in Scotland that are registered with the programme to more than 1,000.
That all demonstrates not only that fair trade and our commitment to it is part of the remit of Government, politicians or MSPs, but that it has been driven by the people on the ground through organisations such as churches—which have been mentioned—local authorities, libraries, charities and schools, which are incredibly important.
I was at Wallacewell primary school in north-east Glasgow last week—my job is, if nothing else, extraordinarily varied. I was there to judge the best-dressed banana competition. Barack Obama may be President of the United States, but unfortunately Barack O’Banana did not win that competition. That accolade went to Jimmy, the Scottish Jamaican bobsleigh banana. As I said, my job is varied.
In just over eight years, awareness of fair trade has grown, as members all round the chamber have mentioned, as can be seen from the recent opinion poll that shows that nearly nine out of 10 Scots are aware of the Fairtrade mark. I am really impressed with the people-to-people relationships that fair trade brings. It is not just about buying a chocolate bar, a coffee or a banana because of the Fairtrade mark, but about the links that have been created between people in communities who probably would not have met otherwise. That is the real benefit that Scotland gets from her relationships in the fair trade movement.
Liam McArthur mentioned our mutual friend Pastor Kester Chiwalo. I was in the job one week when I met Pastor Kester, a gentleman from the Thyolo highlands, who told me about the places in Orkney that I had to go and see. He had seen more of Orkney than I had. It certainly showed that he had built up a true relationship with the presbytery and community in Westray.
As Roderick Campbell has pointed out, I have visited a number of countries, including India, Pakistan, Malawi and Zambia, where we are committed to fair trade and where I have seen at first hand its importance. I could stand here and tell the chamber the difference that it makes but until members see it for themselves and hear, as the cross-party group did yesterday, about its impact on people’s lives they will not be able to comprehend it. For example, I was told by a group of women in Malawi who were making batiks that, although they were getting a fair price for their fairly produced products, the worth of what they were doing was not just in the creation of these wonderful products but in the fact that they were able to send their children to school. Otherwise, they simply would not have an opportunity that we all take for granted. The more people we can get from the countries that are benefiting from this relationship to tell their story, the better.
As Fiona McLeod made clear, Scotland is a caring nation; indeed, that is one of our values, and a great many people in our villages, towns and cities show their commitment by doing what they can to make a difference. We hear of, for example, fair trade bake sales—I expect an invitation from Fiona McLeod to be a judge in the one that she mentioned—the film showings that have been hosted in Bridge of Allan, the big banana walk in Johnstone or the smoothie bike that visited Mr Adam’s Paisley constituency last Friday. I am sure that Mr Adam was pedalling the bike very hard.
Of the specific questions that have been raised, one in particular that has been mentioned by James Kelly and George Adam is what we can do through the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill. The achievement of fair trade nation status was only the beginning, and we must continue to explore what we can do with the powers that the Parliament has. One thing we can do is to promote and increase the uptake of fair trade and ethical procurement in the public sector. Although that can be achieved primarily through guidance and secondary legislation, the Scottish Government has demonstrated its commitment by lodging an amendment to the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill to require public authorities, in preparing a procurement strategy, to include a statement of their policy on the procurement of fairly and ethically traded goods and services. I think that that will be welcomed by members across the chamber. I also point out that when this week the Deputy First Minister met Christian Aid and the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund, she said that, on this issue, her mind will always be open.
I welcome the minister’s announcement but, given the importance of supermarkets with regard to the volume of food and goods that are sold, does more need to be done, particularly at a time when household budgets are under pressure, to ensure that there is no reining back from any commitment to fair trade or, indeed, efforts to extend the breadth of fair trade products that are retailed through our larger supermarkets?
The member makes a fair point. We can do certain things through primary and secondary legislation, but there are other avenues that we must explore and I am happy to have that discussion.
I thank the member for bringing this motion to the chamber for debate and other members for their fantastic contributions. Like James Kelly, I attended the festival of fair trade in Perth. Indeed, I remember it very well because I emerged having purchased Fairtrade candy floss, chocolate and crisps. The basic message is that supporting such a good cause has never been so tasty, so we should continue to do so.
Many thanks, minister. I thank all members for their contributions to the debate and suspend the meeting until 2.30 pm.
13:14
Meeting suspended.
14:30
On resuming—