Connarty and Olympian Redgrave Back Fairtrade.

Michael Connarty joins forces with olympian Steve Redgrave to back fairtrade.

MP TEAMS UP WITH OLYMPIAN STEVE TO SUPPORT FAIR TRADE

Linlithgow and East Falkirk MP, Michael Connarty, a longstanding supporter of the Fair Trade movement, yesterday teamed up in the House of Commons with three times Olympic gold medallist, Sir Steve Redgrave to promote this year’s Fair Trade Fortnight.

Organised by the Fair Trade Foundation, the campaign aims to ensure that poor people who grow crops in developing countries get a fair price for their produce. Products sold in this country with a FAIRTRADE symbol ensures that they do so.

This year’s Fair Trade Fortnight focuses on ending EU cotton subsidies which distort trade to the disadvantage of cotton growers in the world’s poorest countries. Michael Connarty said, “As a member and former Chair of the House of Commons EU Scrutiny Committee, and as a delegate to the Council of Europe, I will be taking forward this important message. We do need to radically reform the EU Common Agricultural Policy which will soon be coming up for review. The current trade arrangements cheat the world’s poorest farmers out of what their crops are really worth. I’m delighted that someone of Sir Steve Redgrave’s international repute is now helping to spread the message that I have been promoting for years.

“Each year, more and more people buy FAIRTRADE products and I urge even more people in Grangemouth, Bo’ness, Linlithgow, Bathgate, Whitburn and Armadale to join in if they haven’t already done so. More and more shops are stocking FAIRTRADE goods.”

Attached picture shows Michael Connarty and Sir Steve Redgrave pledging their support.