WAITROSE LANDS FAIR DEAL AWARD

14-12-2007

Upmarket supermarket chain Waitrose is the latest to be granted a “Fair Deal” award in recognition of the price they offer dairy farmers for milk.  Other large stores have been accused of ripping off producers, but here’s an example of a retailer doing the decent thing.

The award was handed over yesterday at the Hall Green branch of Waitrose by local farmer and activist Andrew Hemming in recognition of their recent decision to up the price they pay for a litre from 18p to 25p.

Fair Deal Awards are nominated by producers and given to retailers that they feel offer them a 'fair price'. The nominations in the West Midlands so far include:

• Rugby Livestock Sales Market, nominated by Brian Swift of Hazel Farm, Solihull

• Capers in Pershore, nominated by Lynda Whitcombe of Plantation Cottage Herbs

• Waitrose, nominated by dairy farmer Andrew Hemmings of Hockley Heath

• The Public, who visit their farm shop and buy from them direct, nominated by Charlotte Hollins of Fordhall Farm in Shropshire.

Localise West Midlands and the Attwood Group are aiming to show that “fair trade” concepts are relevant to producers in the UK as well as abroad.

As Michael Hart, founder of the Small and Family Farms Alliance, puts it: "I hope that one day we will be able to put fairly traded milk in our fair-trade tea and coffee".