Northern Ireland aims to be Fairtrade region

Northern Ireland is in line to achieve Fairtrade devolved region recognition later this year. The focus on achieving devolved region status - Scotland and Wales have already achieved this - has been announced by an all-party grouping of local politicians, councillors and other community bodies in Northern Ireland. It coincided with the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight earlier in the week. Fairtrade Fortnight runs to 13 March. A number of events are being held across Northern Ireland to highlight and further raise awareness of Fairtrade and the concepts of sustainability and international development. The concept of Fairtrade accreditation for Northern Ireland developed from the Fairtrade Towns initiative with criteria established for the Northern Ireland Assembly, Government (Central and Local) and the public/private sector to achieve Fairtrade status for Northern Ireland. The aim is to encourage businesses, universities, colleges and schools to back the initiative. Consumers continue to support the Fairtrade cause, with volumes of the most popular products - tea, coffee, cocoa and bananas - growingin the past 12 months, leading to greater financial premiums to Fairtrade farmers and workers in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Caribbean. Of the four main Fairtrade commodities, coffee increased the most, by 12 per cent. This equates to 255 million more cups of Fairtrade coffee drunk last year than in 2014, while tea's 3 per cent growth means that 2015 saw 184 million more cups drunk than in the previousyear. Currently Belfast, Londonderry, Antrim, Banbridge, Bangor, Dundonald, Warrenpoint and Newry have achieved Fairtrade status. Several are working towards it. The region's two universities, Queen's Belfast and Ulster have both achieved Fairtrade status.