LANCASHIRE could become Britain's first Fairtrade County if moves by backbench councillors are accepted.
The Fairtrade mark is awarded to products such as coffee, tea, chocolate and bananas to assure consumers that the farmers in developing countries are being paid enough to live on.
The county council already serves some Fairtrade coffee and tea, but the Lancashire Purchasing Agency, the council's main supplier, has yet to introduce Fairtrade products to its catalogue.
Fairtrade County status would involve the council working with the Fairtrade Foundation and other organisations to ensure that a range of Fairtrade products are available in a set number of the county's shops, cafes and restaurants, and that high-profile local employers use Fairtrade products.
Green county councillor Jonathan Sear said: "We want Fairtrade to become the norm, so that profits are split more fairly. It is far better to give farmers in the producing countries a good deal for their crops than to allow conditions to reach crisis point and then resort to aid handouts."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article