CAMPAIGNERS from Chiswick High Road's Oxfam store took their protest against a Brentford based coffee manufacturer to Trafalgar Square this week, and enjoyed the support of a top BBC actress.

Claire Goose who found fame in BBC TV's casualty, and who recently visited coffee farmers in Ethiopia, was amongst those under the shadow of Nelson's Column on Tuesday (April 22nd) showing their anger at food and drink company Kraft, which has it's European headquarters on Capital Interchange Way in Brentford.

The actress argued that companies like Kraft were exploiting coffee farmers from around the world: Coffee prices are now so low that farmers are unable to earn enough to feed their families, send their children to school or buy essential medicines'', she commented.

Zadio Masala, Manager of the Oxfam shop on Chiswick High Road was in agreement: For every cup of coffee drunk in Brentford, approximately 74.6 per cent of the price paid goes to the coffee company and only 4.4 per cent ends up in the pocket of the farmer who grew it. This is extremely unfair. Kraft can play a role in putting a stop to this crisis.''

Kraft retails popular coffee brands like Kenco and Maxwell House, and a gigantic coffee mug bearing the words MUGGED BY KENCO was used by demonstrators to show how the charity believes major coffee companies like Kraft are getting richer at the expense of millions of farmers. As part of its Make Trade Fair' campaign, Oxfam is calling for Kraft to start paying farmers a decent price for their coffee crop. They claim 25 million coffee farmers around the world are falling deeper into poverty while in 2002, Kraft had an exceptionally good year, with net profits increasing by more than 80 per cent.

A spokesperson for Kraft said the company did care for the farmers. She commented: The difficult situation facing many coffee growers as a result of the current market imbalance is of great concern to everyone. Kraft continues to focus its community giving programs to those that are most needy. Partnering with local organizations, Kraft is working to address true social needs in many coffee-growing countries.''

She listed some of the company's social contributions as: Sponsoring education programs; Direct feeding programs for rural communities; Provision of food and medical aid to needy families.

She felt, however, that the issue was not black and white, and what was most important was the needs of the consumer: We agreethat the current oversupply of coffee has led to difficult conditions for many coffee farmers and that this is a complex issue which requires the participation of the coffee industry, governmental and international institutions to improve. At Kraft, we believe the most important contribution we can make to the long-term health of the coffee industry, including the sustained well being of farmers, is to continue to promote consumer demand.''