FOLLOWING Fairtrade Fortnight, SIOBHAN WILSON of the FAIR shop, in Queens Road, explains why consumers should take responsibility for what they eat and wear.

AS the effects of the recession continue to bite, shoppers are buying more from value chains and this is having a direct negative impact on Fairtrade producers overseas.

According to the latest research, 2015 was the first year that has ever seen a drop in Fairtrade sales.

Although this is only a four per cent drop it does not bode well for the lives of millions of poor farmers worldwide.

Coupled with local news of milk prices being under the cost of production, it is time that shoppers sought out ethical products that allow producers worldwide to earn a reasonable living. Shoppers are bombarded with images of slick products that make them focus on the end product rather than who produced them and how they were paid. This is increasingly true for small farmers in the UK as well as overseas, and encourages people to consume more than is good for them or the planet.

When shoppers dispose of clothing in particular they do not see the negative effects of their shopping habits.

When coupled with savagely competitive pricing wars, we end up with goods that are seriously undervalued both in terms of production and waste disposal.

If we have a race to the bottom for the lowest price, we’re all on a hiding to nothing. Ultimately we will all be losers, but in the short term the obvious losers will be the small farmers here – the custodians of our countryside who support biodiversity – as well as small producers worldwide.

We need to think in a much more interconnected way - if I buy huge amounts of cheaply produced things, then I’m also responsible for much more waste, which the wider public and environment pick up the cost for. We hope people will feel much happier if they consume less, buy things they value more and enjoy them more.

After all it’s not how much you consume but how much you enjoy it. You probably want to wear that favourite shirt you’ve had for years much more than some of the gear you picked up in your latest shopping frenzy.

We can reconfigure value and enjoy life without having to over-consume at the expense of the poor and the planet. We just need to get together, use our heads and our hearts and join together to make a more positive future.