MSP welcome’s Fair Trade News
Written by author on February 26, 2013
A year after Dumfries was declared a Fair Trade Town, South of Scotland MSP Joan McAlpine has welcomed the news that Scotland has become one of the world’s first Fair Trade Nations,.
The news comes on the first day of Fairtrade Fortnight 2013 and follows a nationwide campaign led by the Scottish Fair Trade Forum that has seen the people of Scotland rally behind Fair Trade principles.
The accolade means people, government, businesses, public bodies and community organisations across Scotland have come together to meet stringent criteria designed to promote Fair Trade.
Commenting, the SNP MSP said:
“This time last year in a speech in Parliament I welcomed the news, that after five years of hard work by the Dumfries fair trade group, the town had achieved Fair Trade status.
“I also mentioned that I looked forward to the day that Scotland would achieve Fair Trade Nation status, and it is fantastic that one year on we have done just that.”
She added:
“We can all help through daily decisions about what we buy – it may not seem a big deal to buy Fair Trade products, but each time we do we help protect families and communities across the world. Scotland is a rich nation, and our values mean we are duty-bound to help those less fortunate.
“People in every town and city and across all local authority areas share a vision of Scotland as a good global citizen, committed to playing its part in addressing poverty.
“We must now build on today’s achievement and continue to work hard to encourage even greater Scottish support for Fair Trade.”
