Fermanagh and Omagh achieves Fairtrade District status

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council is delighted to reveal that the District has been awarded Fairtrade status by the Fairtrade Foundation.

The status is awarded to areas which can demonstrate that they have met the five Fairtrade Goals as set out by the Fairtrade Foundation. The goals include that Fairtrade is supported by the local council, that Fairtrade products are available to buy locally, local workplaces and community organisations serve Fairtrade products, media coverage and events help to raise awareness of Fairtrade and that a local Fairtrade steering group is established to build up support.

Fairtrade is a simple way to make a difference to the lives of the people who grow the things we love. When you buy products with the Fairtrade Mark such as tea, coffee, bananas or chocolate you support farmers and workers in the developing world as they work to improve their lives and the lives of their communities.

The Mark means that the Fairtrade ingredients in the product have been produced by small-scale farmer organisations or plantations that meet Fairtrade social, economic and environmental standards. The standards include protection of workers’ rights and the environment, payment of the Fairtrade Minimum Price and an additional Fairtrade Premium to invest in local business or community projects.

In real terms, the Fairtrade Premium means investment in areas such as local schools, transport, health care and sanitation.

Speaking on the announcement, Chair of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Councillor Chris Smyth, commented:

‘The Council acknowledges the very real contribution that Fairtrade makes to sustainable development, tackling poverty and to improving the lives of people from some of the most disadvantaged farming communities in the developing world. We are pleased to support the Fairtrade campaign by raising awareness of Fairtrade and the positive contribution that this movement is making to the lives of farmers in the developing world’.

We can all do our bit to support Fairtrade by looking out for and choosing to buy products which carry the Fairtrade logo.

To find out more about the Council’s involvement with Fairtrade including the District’s Fairtrade Steering Group, visit www.fermanaghomagh.com/your-council/policies/sustainable-development/fairtrade or email charlotte.daly@fermanaghomagh.com