Speaking on behalf of the Scottish Fairtrade Forum at the Mid-Formartine Fairtrade Festival held at Udny Green yesterday (Sunday), Eilidh Whiteford, who is also the SNP's Westminster candidate for Banff & Buchan, said:
"The people of Mid-Formartine are to be congratulated on becoming a Fairtrade Zone. This award represents a lot of hard work by many people across the area.
"Fairtrade makes a tremendous difference to the lives of producers and their families in developing countries, ensuring they get a fair price for their produce and providing dividends for their communities.
"The importance of that is well understood in areas like Mid-Formartine where so many people are involved in food production and understand the pressures faced by farmers all over the world. The Scottish Fair Trade Forum is delighted to support today's event and is working with communities across the country to make Scotland a Fair Trade Nation."