Hampshire MEP Backs Oxfam's "Make Trade Fair Campaign"

9.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 23rd May 2003

Chris Huhne MEP at OXFAM Shop in Eastleigh

Hampshire Chris Huhne today backed OXFAM's campaign to stop subsidised EU food exports from wrecking poor farmers' livelihoods in the developing world.

Mr Huhne joined local campaigners at the OXFAM shop in Eastleigh, one of 27 volunteer run OXFAM shops in Hampshire, to press for a comprehensive ban on agricultural export dumping at the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in Cancun this September.

"European citizens are spending more than 2 Euros a day subsidising each cow when half of the world's population have to live on less than this amount. It is time to put people ahead of cows", said Mr Huhne. "We should cut our farm subsidies, cut our unfair exports and let farmers in poorer countries live".

Mr Huhne is pictured with Hampshire OXFAM campaigner Dr Owen Plunkett, Regional Campaigns Officer Rajinder Dadry and Eastleigh Oxfam shop volunteers Penny Alford and Lesley Hogan

Mr Huhne, a long-standing Oxfam supporter, said the key is to give people in developing countries a way of earning money. "If you give people a hand-out it feeds them for a day. If you open up opportunities for them to sell on world markets, you feed them for life" said Mr Huhne.

ENDS