I'm just back from being on Britain's Channel Four News where I was discussing the Fairtrade scheme. The Fairtrade Foundation is calling on the public to "Check out Fairtrade". I agree entirely. Here are some key facts:

• We do not have free trade in farming. Rich countries engage in unfree trade. Developing country farmers are held back by unfree trade, not free trade.

• Fairtrade appeals to a minority of buyers. Only 1% of the world's coffee is Fairtrade. Most people buy according to price and quality.

• Fairtrade helps relieve middle-class guilt. By so doing, it takes the emphasis away from the real problem: Europe's agricultural policies.

• Mechanization means that only a small proportion of the world's coffee producers are actually needed. In Brazil five people and a machine produce the same amount of coffee as 500 people in Guatemala. We should help people adapt, not encourage them to stay in outdated jobs.

• Coffee prices are low because there is too much being produced, not because of the actions of multinational companies. Companies like Starbucks have helped increase consumption of coffee, which is good for producers.

• 25% of the world's Fairtrade coffee comes from Mexico, a relatively affluent country where the average income is $9000 (compared with $700 for Ethiopia). Mexico enjoys free trade agreements with the USA and Europe, and most of its jobs are industrial and service sector jobs. By helping Mexicans stay in the market, the Fairtrade scheme keeps the world price of coffee down and takes business away from poor coffee producers.

• Markets convey information through prices. The low price of coffee tells producers to produce more cheaply or exit the market. At the end of the day, too much coffee is being produced.