On Wednesday 3 December, the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Fair Trade met online to explore Fair Trade in times of conflict, with a particular focus on Palestine. The session brought together MSPs, Fair Trade campaigners and members, alongside two powerful contributions from Fair Trade businesses working directly with Palestinian producers.

The discussion offered a sobering but vital insight into how Fair Trade operates not just as a trading model, but as a lifeline for communities facing violence, displacement and systemic barriers.

Zaytoun – supporting farmers to stay on their land

Manal Ramadan White from Zaytoun spoke about the organisation’s long-standing relationships with Palestinian farming communities, built on transparency, pre-financing and predictable prices. These relationships are designed to help farmers maintain their livelihoods and remain connected to their land in a context that actively undermines both.

Manal described the 2025 olive harvest as the worst in decades. Olive season is normally a moment of pride and celebration, but this year it was marked by widespread settler violence, movement restrictions and fear. Hundreds of attacks were recorded across dozens of villages, with thousands of olive trees destroyed or vandalised. Many families were simply unable to reach their groves safely; in other cases, hours spent waiting at checkpoints meant farmers had to turn back without harvesting.

The impacts extend far beyond a single season. Missing a harvest damages future yields, degrades soil and increases the risk of land confiscation. Climate change compounds these pressures, with declining rainfall, extreme heat and restrictions on water collection further reducing productivity.

Despite this, Palestinian cooperatives continue to process, sort and export goods under extraordinary conditions. Manal highlighted how Fair Trade provides a rare source of stability through advance payments, minimum prices and collective premiums that support community projects such as women’s centres and nurseries. Women’s cooperatives, in particular, have been strengthened through Fair Trade markets at a time when mobility and social connection are increasingly restricted.

Manal urged MSPs to use their voices to advocate for an end to annexation, land confiscation and settler expansion, and encouraged people in Scotland to continue buying Palestinian products, even when certification or logistics are disrupted. Scotland  remains one of Zaytoun’s key strategic markets.

Hadeel – Fair Trade as dignity, culture and resilience

Yasmina Ferrigan from Hadeel, Edinburgh-based Fair Trade retailer and trading arm of Palcrafts, reflected on more than two decades of partnership with Palestinian artisans. Hadeel works with producers across Gaza, the West Bank, the Naqab/Negev and within Israel, with a mission rooted in justice, dignity and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Yasmina spoke about the devastation since October 7, particularly in Gaza where the economy collapsed almost overnight. Longstanding producer relationships were shattered as workshops were destroyed and artisans displaced. She shared individual stories of loss, illness and forced migration that reflect the wider humanitarian crisis.

Even outside Gaza, trade has become extraordinarily difficult. Checkpoint closures, courier shutdowns, postal suspensions and financial transfer delays mean that deliveries take far longer and cost far more. Producers have exhausted savings and are surviving on whatever orders can still make it through. Yet Hadeel continues to support around 35 producer groups, constantly adapting routes and systems to keep some income flowing.

Yasmina also highlighted the emotional toll of this work: the trauma experienced by Palestinian customers visiting the shop, the fear felt by artisans travelling to work, and the potential loss of skills and traditions passed down through generations. At the same time, she emphasised the resilience of producers who continue working as an act of hope, including centres supporting neurodivergent adults that have chosen to stay open despite the risks.

Fair Trade, she said, offers solidarity and protection, while helping to counter the dehumanisation of Palestinians by connecting people in Scotland with real stories, culture and craft. She cautioned that ethical consumer action must be nuanced, particularly in relation to boycotts, to avoid harming Palestinian communities inside Israel.

Discussion time

The discussion that followed explored how Fair Trade operates in practice under occupation and conflict:

• Scale and income: Fair Trade represents a small proportion of total olive production, largely due to limited export access. However, Fair Trade prices and premiums provide more reliable income and support community investment.
• Livelihoods: Olive farming is seasonal, so most families diversify crops. Fair Trade strengthens overall food security and helps families retain land.
• Certification: In Palestine, alignment with Fair Trade principles is often more meaningful than formal certification, particularly for artisan groups and women-led cooperatives.
• Export barriers: Goods face repeated unloading, inspections and delays, higher shipping costs, and additional scrutiny simply for being labelled “Palestine”. These barriers create cashflow crises and unpredictability for producers.

Members also discussed how to balance positive consumer messaging with political education and advocacy, and how to engage new, ethically motivated consumers in Fair Trade choices that go beyond individual products.

Why this matters for Scotland

This meeting was a powerful reminder that Fair Trade is not abstract. It is about people, land, culture and survival. For Palestinian producers, Fair Trade relationships provide dignity, stability and a connection to global solidarity at a time when so much is designed to strip those away.

For Scotland, as a Fair Trade Nation, there is both an opportunity and a responsibility: to keep telling these stories, to stand with producers through our purchasing choices, and to support political advocacy that enables people to trade freely and safely.

The next CPG on Fair Trade meeting will take place on 5 February and will be held in a hybrid format, with a Fair Trade farmer from Colombia joining the discussion in person.