Fairtrade banana farmers face huge Brexit tariffs. Email the UK government now.
Fairtrade banana farmers in Ghana are facing ruin.
Since 1 January 2021 imports of Fairtrade bananas from Ghana have been slapped with over £100,000 in tariffs
Farmers now face a tariff of £95/1000kg - in excess of £100,000 in tariffs adding 9.5p to the cost of 1kg of bananas.
They are making a loss on every single shipment. This is clearly an unsustainable situation and it is not clear what purpose the tariffs are serving.
If this continues and orders from Ghana have to be reduced, it will be the Fairtrade farmers and workers who will suffer.
The UK government claims to support trade as a way for countries to make their way out of poverty, and yet in this case is not acting on this principle
On 31/12/20 The UK and Ghanaian governments issued a Joint Ministerial Statement which said "Today we are pleased to announce that we have reached a consensus on the main elements of a new trade agreement. This provides the basis to replicate, the effects of the existing trade relationship between the UK and Ghana"
Despite this high level of agreement, the UK moved Ghana onto the 'General Framework" of its trade preference scheme for developing countries
We don't have long - will you email Liz Truss, Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade?
Send your email to Liz Truss asking the UK government to resume tariff free trade with Ghana urgently and to compensate the importers for the losses incurred to date.
Please use our template - prepared by the Scottish Fair Trade Forum (official signatory of the Keep KitKat Fairtrade petition)
Or simply copy and paste the following text and email to:
Dear Secretary of State,
I am extremely concerned about the immediate impact of Brexit on Ghanaian Fairtrade farmers.
On New Year's Eve, the UK and Ghanaian governments issued a Joint Ministerial Statement which said the parties had "reached a consensus on the main elements of a new trade agreement." It went on to state that this "provides the basis to replicate the effects of the existing trade relationship between the UK and Ghana".
However despite this, I understand Fairtrade certified bananas from Ghana arriving into the UK since 1st January are being charged a tariff of £95 per tonne, therefore making a loss on every shipment. I am very worried that this cost may be borne by farmers and workers at the bottom of the supply chain whose livelihoods are already precarious. The UK accounts for 40% of Ghanaian banana exports so I urge the government to resume tariff free trade urgently and to compensate the importers for the losses incurred to date.
Yours sincerely
We need to act by the end of this week so please send your email by Friday 5 February
Thank you for continuing to support Fairtrade farmers in West Africa. Your support means such a lot to them.
