Over 150 people have signed a petition to Caroline Spellman, UK minister, asking her to press the EU to reduce the subsidies it pays to cotton farmers  This is what it said.  It was sent on April 10th

FAO: Rt Hon Caroline Spelman,

Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs

Dear Mrs Spelman

We, the undersigned, ask you to act now on CAP reform to help the poorest farmers in the world. 

The Fairtrade movement wishes to see a CAP regime that is consistent with other EU policies on development and takes into account impacts on marginalized producers and workers in poor countries.

Every day, cotton farmers in Africa are going bust simply because they cannot compete against the $7bn in subsidies EU cotton farmers have received in the last 10 years.  African farmers do not want handouts, they just want a level playing field for their goods - and you can make this happen. 

In the coming months, you and your ministerial team will begin negotiating a deal for post-2013 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).  In representing the UK at the Council of Ministers, you need to make it clear that the UK will not accept the continuation of trade-distorting cotton subsidies, that prevent African farmers from trading fairly.  Even though these subsidies form part of the accession agreements of several countries, they can only be addressed as part of wider CAP reform.  Alarmingly, the EU Commission is not even proposing that cotton subsidies be discussed as part of the future of CAP reform.

We need your help to make sure cotton subsidies get discussed as part of CAP reform, and then for you to press for the EU to end them.  I acknowledge your public commitments to decoupling EU cotton subsidies, however now is the time for action. Specifically, I would like you make the following concrete commitments:

            1.            To confirm that the UK will not accept any deal on post-2013 CAP reform that allows trade-distorting cotton subsidies to continue, and to communicate this position to your EU counterparts.

            2.            To lobby to ensure that abolition of cotton subsidies is firmly on all appropriate agendas for negotiation of the post-2013 CAP reform.

            3.            Press for a deal in the Doha Development Round of trade negotiations that ends trade distorting cotton subsidies and delivers on its commitment to development.

Although a small quantity of cotton is produced in the EU, the EU is the world's largest subsidiser of cotton per pound. Without action on our part, there is little hope of persuading our global partners to end their unfair subsidies that prevent some of the poorest farmers in the world from working their way out of poverty.

I look forward to your response and your firm commitment to action points raised.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Allchurch, chairman

Lucy Layton, secretary

Ed Le Quesne, treasurer   of Jersey Fairtrade Island Group and over 150 others