UK Trade and Investment

House of Lords written question – answered at on 19 January 2012.

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Photo of Lord Judd Lord Judd Labour

To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to United Kingdom retailers on the implications of direct and indirect trade with Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and East Jerusalem.

Photo of Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

While there is no ban on importing Israeli settlement goods into the UK, the Government do believe consumers should be able to choose for themselves what produce they buy. In December 2009, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs introduced voluntary guidelines in consultation with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to label produce more accurately, allowing consumers to make a more fully informed decision concerning the products they buy. The guidelines state that if traders and retailers wish to indicate whether food originates from an Israeli settlement or from Palestinian producers, they could, for example, label it "produce of the West Bank (Israeli settlement produce)" or "produce of the West Bank (Palestinian produce)" as appropriate. This was not in support of a boycott, but to provide clarity over the precise origin of products.

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