London - Caribbean bananas are ethical bananas, the British Secretary of State for International Development, Ms Clare Short, said. Bananas were produced in the Caribbean under "much better conditions and with less pesticides", she said at a presentation to launch the use of "Fairtrade" coffee in the House of Commons.
The World Trade Organisation has ruled that the EU's banana regime, which sets aside a quota for Caribbean producers, infringes free trade rules and would have to be changed by January 1999. Caribbean governments have warned the change could be disastrous for their economies.
