French Economist attacks Fairtrade and Max Havelaar

French economist attacks Max Havelaar Foundation, and Fairtrade
The charges against Max Havelaar (the original Fairtrade brand, the one still used in much of Europe) are detailed in a 500-page book, "Les coulisses du commerce equitable" (Behind the scenes of fair trade), by Christian Jacquiau.
According to figures issued by Max Havelaar, €50 million goes to a million producers in the third world. "Here the dream falls apart," said the author. "They therefore each receive just €50 a year – or €4 a month."

But what's even worse, says Jacquiau, is that it's not even clear if the farmers are actually getting the money.
"There are only 54 inspectors around the world, working on a part-time freelance basis to check and control a million producers. These checks do not take place on the ground but in offices, hotel rooms or even by fax," he says.
"The main beneficiary of the trade could well be a large landowner or even a multinational."
Jacquiau also criticises the "partnership" between a champion of fair trade coffee and the 140 McDonald's outlets in Switzerland.

See also Jacquiau’s article in Le Monde Diplomatique September 2007.

If someone has spent a couple of years getting together the evidence, why doesn’t Fairtrade respond? All they have done so far is the usual, saying Fairtrade is a Good Thing, and refuse to discuss the allegations or the evidence. This is not acceptable when they are collecting tens of millions of pounds of public money, and not passing it on to the farmers.