Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 299: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding plans aimed at drafting guidelines for retailers in labelling of goods from illegal Israeli settlements and his views on the reason Ireland has fallen behind other countries on this front who have already implemented such guidelines [41254/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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While regulation of food labelling is not the responsibility of the Department of Foreign Affairs, I share the view of the Deputy that many Irish consumers would wish to be aware if they were being asked to purchase produce originating in illegal Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories. I therefore instructed my officials to initiate contacts on the matter with the responsible Government Departments. I understand from these contacts that the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and the Department of Health and Children have received no requests from retailers to produce advice or guidelines in this matter, and that there has been little pressure on the matter from consumers or the general public. Accordingly, this is not regarded by them as a priority concern.

I am not aware of guidelines having been issued in EU countries, other than in the UK, where the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) issued advice in December 2009 for retailers who wished to distinguish in food labelling between Palestinian produce from the West Bank and produce from Israeli settlements.

The UK move came in response to pressure from consumers, charities and NGOs, and at the request of major retailers. It involved a two year process of consultation between concerned Departments and bodies, led by DEFRA, in which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office participated to advise on the political background. It consisted of simple and straightforward technical advice, suggesting how such labelling might be worded, for use by producers and retailers who wished to do so. It had no legal force, but was helpful to some UK retailers who wished to adopt more informative labelling, but felt more comfortable doing so in the context of Government advice.

It is important to be clear that, just as in the UK, there is nothing to stop Irish retailers now, if they wish, from clearly labelling goods to distinguish settlement produce. They could do so along the same simple and obvious lines as in the DEFRA guidelines, as either 'Produce of the West Bank (Palestinian produce)' or 'Produce of the West Bank (Israeli settlement)', or any similar wording.