SA’s ethical trade manager makes proactivity the goal

Government has responded to submissions by the fruit industry to investigate the best possible mechanisms to effectively cover all ethical trade practices in the agricultural sector. A committee to determine these has been set up under National Agricultural Marketing Council chairperson, Ntombi Msimang. This follows the appointment of Colleen Chennells as ethical trade manager by Fruit South Africa, the umbrella body representing the Fresh Produce Exporters’ Forum (FPEF), Deciduous Fruit Producers’ Trust (DFPT), Citrus Grower’s Association (CGA) South African Table Grape Industry (SATGI) and SA Subtropical Growers’ Association. She is tasked with ensuring ethical trade matters are addressed fairly on farms and by producers (growers) and exporters in successfully getting product to major markets, particularly those in the UK and Europe. Eight months into her brief, Chennells last week told FTW the fruit industry as a whole had uniformly responded to an awareness of, and commitment to, ethical trade, with the focus on being proactive. That said, the industry is committed to establishing a code reflecting international and domestic requirements, what will in effect amount to a “one-code-fits-all”. The industry is encouraged that UK retailers generally concur over support for a non-competitive ethical trade initiative in South Africa and that costly duplication of farm audits be avoided. Chennells says very little data is available to the industry to reflect negative trends and areas that require support and attention. The net result is that all farms are “tarred with the same brush” and negatively projected on the international stage in terms of ethical practices.