Councillors ditch fairtrade coffee because of its taste

Mar 1 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

GORDON BROWN has criticised Tories in West Lancashire for refusing to switch to Fairtrade coffee in council canteens.

The Prime Minister stepped into a long-running row over the district council’s rejection of a Labour plea for it to serve coffee that does not exploit farmers in the developing world.

Scores of local authorities have achieved “Fairtrade Status”, after agreeing to serve coffee and tea bought from independent farmers – at a fair price – at all meetings, offices and canteens, as well as pushing for it in local shops.

However, last year, Conservative councillors at West Lancashire threw out a Labour resolution to make the switch.

At the time, council leader Geoff Roberts said: “It works on the basis of co-operatives and co-operatives aren’t always producing the best quality of goods. It’s a mix of coffee beans, for instance. The beans are not a pure blend.

“By and large, Fairtrade tend to be quite expensive and, in my opinion, are not of the same quality as mainstream stuff.” The issue was raised in the Commons by Rosie Cooper, Labour MP for West Lancashire, who urged Mr Brown to congratulate councils that were signed up, because it was “Fairtrade Fortnight”.

But Ms Cooper added: “In my area, West Lancashire district council, a Tory council, has abso- lutely rejected the idea, on the basis it is more expensive or the coffee does not taste correctly.”

The Prime Minister said: “Fair trade is important to the poorest countries of the world. UK shoppers have bought nearly 500m fair trade products this year. That is up 40%, which shows the great support there now is for fair trade. Fair trade is not a gimmick, it is an important part of building justice throughout the world.”

West Lancashire District Council declined to comment.

Tory leader David Cameron has announced that only Fairtrade tea and coffee will be served at the party’s London headquarters.