Unfair trade

The food chain is becoming increasingly global - and big business has taken control.

Farmers around the world are encouraged by bodies like the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to grow whatever they can most cheaply and sell it worldwide.

This helps the profits of the supermarkets, fertiliser and pesticide companies but it's bad news for small farmers, people and the environment:

• Food and environment safety standards
  WTO rules mean these can be seen as trade barriers and overruled.

• Food miles
  Food that could be grown in the UK is shipped in from around the world - causing climate pollution.

• Supermarket armlock
  Farmers often have to accept the loss-making prices supermarkets offer. Otherwise they face losing their market.

• Chemical dependence
  Biotech companies want to control the seed and chemicals markets by producing GM crops that are designed to be used with their own brand of herbicide.

Friends of the Earth thinks that the way to tackle these problems is on three levels:

• Global
  Food and agriculture shouldn't be controlled by the WTO.

• Government
  Should support local independent farmers, producers and retailers.

• Supermarkets
  Should be bound by a legal code of conduct and prevented from creating monopolies.
  

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