Scottish Catholics challenge government on fair trade

This afternoon, at St Mirin's Cathedral, Paisley, The Bishop of Paisley, the Rt Rev John Mone is presenting local MP and Cabinet Office Minister, Douglas Alexander with over 3000 postcards from Scottish Catholics calling on the government to make trade work for poor people. The cards were collected by the Scottish Catholic aid agency, SCIAF. The call to action comes as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, visited farmers in Karnataka where SCIAF works. Nearly 3000 farmers in the region have taken their own lives as they struggle to earn enough to feed their families. Trade rules have crippled their communities. Reform of trade rules is vital if poor countries are to be given a chance to work their way out of poverty. Current rules allow farmers in rich countries to get government subsidies. This means they can over-produce goods which are then sold very cheaply in poor countries, putting poor farmers out of business and devastating rural communities. Bishop Mone, President of SCIAF said: "Trade is a matter of life or death for the poorest people across the globe. SCIAF and thousands of people across the country are demanding that the Prime Minister plays his part to make sure trade rules work to benefit poor people and the environment. "The scale of the response to the postcard campaign illustrates the commitment of the Scottish people to make trade fair. It is now time for the British Government to display similar determination."