Comments on: New Spice Standards for Fairtrade http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/2009/09/new-spice-standards-for-fairtrade/ Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:52:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: axel http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/2009/09/new-spice-standards-for-fairtrade/comment-page-1/#comment-899 axel Thu, 10 Sep 2009 05:53:53 +0000 http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/?p=948#comment-899 Fairtrade does remain the best ethical trading system by a wide margin. It is transparent and its members are rigorously audited and checked; this gives great integrity to the brand. Our business, Steenbergs, has been audited recently and it was a robust check on us. For me, this has been a failure of communication between FLO in Germany and participating Fairtrade members, activists and consumers. Perhaps, it comes as a shock to them that there are people out there who think about Fairtrade, what it means, how it should work as a system and passionately believe in maintaining the strengths of the concept. FLO needs carefully to articulate its thinking when it makes philosophical changes and to disseminate its views carefully, clearly and precisely to stakeholders. Issuing an ukase without forewarning, without any communication programme and without canvassing support was ill-judged and must not be repeated. These new Fairtrade standards have been issued to satisfy the demands from farmers who want access to the commercial benefits of Fairtrade. It is good that more farmers wish to join Fairtrade and it is good that FLO wants to widen its appeal and develop the commercial scale of Fairtrade. These are positives. However, watering down some of the core principles is not, in my opinion, the right way to bring this about. I do believe that there will be a suitable mechanism to protect Fairtrade farmers from pricing risk on the downside back into the standards. Moreover, I have every intention of bringing pressure to bear on FLO to incorporate any practical ideas into the standards. Fairtrade does remain the best ethical trading system by a wide margin. It is transparent and its members are rigorously audited and checked; this gives great integrity to the brand. Our business, Steenbergs, has been audited recently and it was a robust check on us.

For me, this has been a failure of communication between FLO in Germany and participating Fairtrade members, activists and consumers. Perhaps, it comes as a shock to them that there are people out there who think about Fairtrade, what it means, how it should work as a system and passionately believe in maintaining the strengths of the concept.

FLO needs carefully to articulate its thinking when it makes philosophical changes and to disseminate its views carefully, clearly and precisely to stakeholders. Issuing an ukase without forewarning, without any communication programme and without canvassing support was ill-judged and must not be repeated.

These new Fairtrade standards have been issued to satisfy the demands from farmers who want access to the commercial benefits of Fairtrade. It is good that more farmers wish to join Fairtrade and it is good that FLO wants to widen its appeal and develop the commercial scale of Fairtrade. These are positives.

However, watering down some of the core principles is not, in my opinion, the right way to bring this about.

I do believe that there will be a suitable mechanism to protect Fairtrade farmers from pricing risk on the downside back into the standards. Moreover, I have every intention of bringing pressure to bear on FLO to incorporate any practical ideas into the standards.

]]> By: Pierre http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/2009/09/new-spice-standards-for-fairtrade/comment-page-1/#comment-891 Pierre Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:29:49 +0000 http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/?p=948#comment-891 The problem is in the absence of fair trade minimum price, who will calculate the price for a "the costs of sustainable production and of processing". I've been supporting fair trade producers since 1997 and importers since 2002, and this problem is not new. Their is a permanent ambiguity with FLO on the balance between ethics and market forces. We could discuss this and inside strategies to address this situation. The problem is in the absence of fair trade minimum price, who will calculate the price for a “the costs of sustainable production and of processing”.

I’ve been supporting fair trade producers since 1997 and importers since 2002, and this problem is not new. Their is a permanent ambiguity with FLO on the balance between ethics and market forces.

We could discuss this and inside strategies to address this situation.

]]> By: Ines Teles http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/2009/09/new-spice-standards-for-fairtrade/comment-page-1/#comment-889 Ines Teles Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:01:10 +0000 http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/?p=948#comment-889 My first impression is that it seems to me that this goes against the very tenets of Fairtrade: providing a living, fair, guaranteed minimum price, no matter what the economic climate. To provide some certainty to the who need it. I understand that there is a 15% FT premium, but this can be used as a bargaining chip to bring the main price down - 'we won't pay more than $20/kg so the 15% better be included in those $20.' I need to go read up about this subject as surely this can't be the whole story! My first impression is that it seems to me that this goes against the very tenets of Fairtrade: providing a living, fair, guaranteed minimum price, no matter what the economic climate. To provide some certainty to the who need it.
I understand that there is a 15% FT premium, but this can be used as a bargaining chip to bring the main price down – ‘we won’t pay more than $20/kg so the 15% better be included in those $20.’

I need to go read up about this subject as surely this can’t be the whole story!

]]> By: joe http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/2009/09/new-spice-standards-for-fairtrade/comment-page-1/#comment-888 joe Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:44:45 +0000 http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/?p=948#comment-888 AGGGRRRHHHH :( that is rubbish and another nail in the coffin of the fairtrade mark and the standard which increasingly means nothing at all very much. AGGGRRRHHHH :( that is rubbish and another nail in the coffin of the fairtrade mark and the standard which increasingly means nothing at all very much.

]]> By: Scott http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/2009/09/new-spice-standards-for-fairtrade/comment-page-1/#comment-867 Scott Sat, 05 Sep 2009 08:30:35 +0000 http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/?p=948#comment-867 Thanks Axel, After checking out the info on the small producer section I most certainly agree with your summation...the standards seem to lack significant elements of standardization.. It would be nice to understand FLO Certs reasoning for "direction gaps"...what were they thinking and why were they thinking that way...unfortunately when you don't know you always envisage worst case scenarios. Thanks Axel,

After checking out the info on the small producer section I most certainly agree with your summation…the standards seem to lack significant elements of standardization..

It would be nice to understand FLO Certs reasoning for “direction gaps”…what were they thinking and why were they thinking that way…unfortunately when you don’t know you always envisage worst case scenarios.

]]> By: axel http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/2009/09/new-spice-standards-for-fairtrade/comment-page-1/#comment-826 axel Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:14:23 +0000 http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/?p=948#comment-826 The new standard for Herbs & Spices can be found on the FLO-Cert web site in the Small Producer Section. Here's a link that should get you there: http://www.fairtrade.net/716.html The new standard for Herbs & Spices can be found on the FLO-Cert web site in the Small Producer Section. Here’s a link that should get you there: http://www.fairtrade.net/716.html

]]> By: Scott http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/2009/09/new-spice-standards-for-fairtrade/comment-page-1/#comment-814 Scott Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:17:37 +0000 http://www.steenbergs.co.uk/blog/?p=948#comment-814 Thanks for sharing this interesting information about what appears to be a real challenge to the quality of FLO decision making on standards. Not being directly involved with spices, I struggled to understand some aspect of your argument. To overcome my comprehension deficiencies, I was wondering if you would be wiling to share the source of your information of the new spice standards? Are they available on the FLO or FLO cert website or published elsewhere. Once again thanks for sharing your insights and help more of us understand another small piece of a complex fair trade puzzle! Thanks for sharing this interesting information about what appears to be a real challenge to the quality of FLO decision making on standards.

Not being directly involved with spices, I struggled to understand some aspect of your argument. To overcome my comprehension deficiencies, I was wondering if you would be wiling to share the source of your information of the new spice standards? Are they available on the FLO or FLO cert website or published elsewhere.

Once again thanks for sharing your insights and help more of us understand another small piece of a complex fair trade puzzle!

]]>