Greens support Fair Trade Oil

29th February 2008

The Green Party is supporting Fairtrade Fortnight (25th Feb to 9th March) by
promoting a talk by a Palestinian farmer Taysir Albasi , whose co-operative,
Al-Zaytouna, sells its organic fair trade olive oil to the UK on a not for profit basis. The co-operative is made up of farmers who are working their land under Israeli occupation, and sells the oil to people in Sheffield via the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

Taysir himself has been involved in grass roots projects to resist 'the wall' which annexed much Palestinian agricultural land to Israel. He is coming to Sheffield from his home in the West Bank as part of a UK tour.

Green Councillor Jillian Creasy said: “This is fair trade with an added twist. Palestinian farmer Taysir Abarsi is farming under siege conditions and buying his product provides not just economic, but moral support for people who have lost their lands.”

Tha talk is taking place on the 5th March, Quaker Meeting House, Sheffield, at 7.30pm.

ENDS

For more information, contact Kathy Aston , Press Officer;

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