Orkney renews Fairtrade Zone status
Front: OIC Convener Harvey Johnston and Orkney Fair Trade Group Chair Gill Smee. Back row, from the left: Orkney Fair Trade Group Vice-chair Robert Wilson, OIC’s Head of IT and Facilities Hayley Green, OIC Executive Director of Corporate Services Gillian Morrison and OIC’s Procurement Manager Rosemary Colsell.
Orkney has been granted renewed Fairtrade Zone status for a further two years, in recognition of fairly traded products being widely sold, promoted, supported and understood in the county.
Orkney Fairtrade Group celebrated the county’s renewed accreditation earlier this week. The group was required to successfully demonstrate, to the Fairtrade Foundation, the county’s commitment, progress, and plans for the future.
The Fairtrade effort in Orkney is aimed at encouraging people to ‘buy fair and buy local’ — food produced in the county and fairly traded goods from overseas.
In a recent report from the Fairtrade Foundation, Orkney was commended for the involvement of the local council over the past two years, as well as for relevant events and activities, such as Westray Chutney’s accreditation as a Fairtrade product, a Scottish Youth Theatre schools’ drama project themed on Fairtrade and schools’ visits by Fairtrade producers.
Orkney was first grant Fairtrade Zone status in 2014.
Adam Gardner, Communities Campaigns Manager at the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “We’re very pleased that Orkney has renewed its Fairtrade status and laid out clear exciting goals to take Fairtrade further.
“Thanks to the ongoing support of the public and campaigners, an increasing number of farmers in developing countries are now selling their products on Fairtrade terms, bringing them a stable income, and the chance to trade their way out of poverty.”