diff --git a/core/deliverservice/config.go b/core/deliverservice/config.go
index 38a13caf98b..5f265175dda 100644
--- a/core/deliverservice/config.go
+++ b/core/deliverservice/config.go
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ const (
 type DeliverServiceConfig struct {
 	// PeerTLSEnabled enables/disables Peer TLS.
 	PeerTLSEnabled bool
+	// BlockGossipEnabled enables block forwarding via gossip
+	BlockGossipEnabled bool
 	// ReConnectBackoffThreshold sets the delivery service maximal delay between consencutive retries.
 	ReConnectBackoffThreshold time.Duration
 	// ReconnectTotalTimeThreshold sets the total time the delivery service may spend in reconnection attempts
@@ -95,6 +97,13 @@ func LoadOverridesMap() (map[string]*orderers.Endpoint, error) {
 }
 
 func (c *DeliverServiceConfig) loadDeliverServiceConfig() {
+	enabledKey := "peer.deliveryclient.blockGossipEnabled"
+	enabledConfigOptionMissing := !viper.IsSet(enabledKey)
+	if enabledConfigOptionMissing {
+		logger.Infof("peer.deliveryclient.blockGossipEnabled is not set, defaulting to true.")
+	}
+	c.BlockGossipEnabled = enabledConfigOptionMissing || viper.GetBool(enabledKey)
+
 	c.PeerTLSEnabled = viper.GetBool("peer.tls.enabled")
 
 	c.ReConnectBackoffThreshold = viper.GetDuration("peer.deliveryclient.reConnectBackoffThreshold")
diff --git a/core/deliverservice/config_test.go b/core/deliverservice/config_test.go
index 2ecc13e979c..424660f1f95 100644
--- a/core/deliverservice/config_test.go
+++ b/core/deliverservice/config_test.go
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ func TestGlobalConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	coreConfig := deliverservice.GlobalConfig()
 
 	expectedConfig := &deliverservice.DeliverServiceConfig{
+		BlockGossipEnabled:          true,
 		PeerTLSEnabled:              true,
 		ReConnectBackoffThreshold:   25 * time.Second,
 		ReconnectTotalTimeThreshold: 20 * time.Second,
@@ -119,6 +120,7 @@ func TestGlobalConfigDefault(t *testing.T) {
 	coreConfig := deliverservice.GlobalConfig()
 
 	expectedConfig := &deliverservice.DeliverServiceConfig{
+		BlockGossipEnabled:          true,
 		PeerTLSEnabled:              false,
 		ReConnectBackoffThreshold:   deliverservice.DefaultReConnectBackoffThreshold,
 		ReconnectTotalTimeThreshold: deliverservice.DefaultReConnectTotalTimeThreshold,
diff --git a/core/deliverservice/deliveryclient.go b/core/deliverservice/deliveryclient.go
index 88356448d70..41b5f6b4c6c 100644
--- a/core/deliverservice/deliveryclient.go
+++ b/core/deliverservice/deliveryclient.go
@@ -128,15 +128,16 @@ func (d *deliverServiceImpl) StartDeliverForChannel(chainID string, ledgerInfo b
 		Dialer: DialerAdapter{
 			Client: d.conf.DeliverGRPCClient,
 		},
-		Orderers:          d.conf.OrdererSource,
-		DoneC:             make(chan struct{}),
-		Signer:            d.conf.Signer,
-		DeliverStreamer:   DeliverAdapter{},
-		Logger:            flogging.MustGetLogger("peer.blocksprovider").With("channel", chainID),
-		MaxRetryDelay:     d.conf.DeliverServiceConfig.ReConnectBackoffThreshold,
-		MaxRetryDuration:  d.conf.DeliverServiceConfig.ReconnectTotalTimeThreshold,
-		InitialRetryDelay: 100 * time.Millisecond,
-		YieldLeadership:   !d.conf.IsStaticLeader,
+		Orderers:            d.conf.OrdererSource,
+		DoneC:               make(chan struct{}),
+		Signer:              d.conf.Signer,
+		DeliverStreamer:     DeliverAdapter{},
+		Logger:              flogging.MustGetLogger("peer.blocksprovider").With("channel", chainID),
+		MaxRetryDelay:       d.conf.DeliverServiceConfig.ReConnectBackoffThreshold,
+		MaxRetryDuration:    d.conf.DeliverServiceConfig.ReconnectTotalTimeThreshold,
+		BlockGossipDisabled: !d.conf.DeliverServiceConfig.BlockGossipEnabled,
+		InitialRetryDelay:   100 * time.Millisecond,
+		YieldLeadership:     !d.conf.IsStaticLeader,
 	}
 
 	if d.conf.DeliverGRPCClient.MutualTLSRequired() {
diff --git a/internal/pkg/peer/blocksprovider/blocksprovider.go b/internal/pkg/peer/blocksprovider/blocksprovider.go
index fb88596521c..788d8656fa1 100644
--- a/internal/pkg/peer/blocksprovider/blocksprovider.go
+++ b/internal/pkg/peer/blocksprovider/blocksprovider.go
@@ -96,9 +96,10 @@ type Deliverer struct {
 	Logger          *flogging.FabricLogger
 	YieldLeadership bool
 
-	MaxRetryDelay     time.Duration
-	InitialRetryDelay time.Duration
-	MaxRetryDuration  time.Duration
+	BlockGossipDisabled bool
+	MaxRetryDelay       time.Duration
+	InitialRetryDelay   time.Duration
+	MaxRetryDuration    time.Duration
 
 	// TLSCertHash should be nil when TLS is not enabled
 	TLSCertHash []byte // util.ComputeSHA256(b.credSupport.GetClientCertificate().Certificate[0])
@@ -111,6 +112,9 @@ const backoffExponentBase = 1.2
 // DeliverBlocks used to pull out blocks from the ordering service to
 // distributed them across peers
 func (d *Deliverer) DeliverBlocks() {
+	if d.BlockGossipDisabled {
+		d.Logger.Infof("Will pull blocks without forwarding them to remote peers via gossip")
+	}
 	failureCounter := 0
 	totalDuration := time.Duration(0)
 
@@ -256,7 +260,9 @@ func (d *Deliverer) processMsg(msg *orderer.DeliverResponse) error {
 			d.Logger.Warningf("Block [%d] received from ordering service wasn't added to payload buffer: %v", blockNum, err)
 			return errors.WithMessage(err, "could not add block as payload")
 		}
-
+		if d.BlockGossipDisabled {
+			return nil
+		}
 		// Gossip messages with other nodes
 		d.Logger.Debugf("Gossiping block [%d]", blockNum)
 		d.Gossip.Gossip(gossipMsg)
diff --git a/internal/pkg/peer/blocksprovider/blocksprovider_test.go b/internal/pkg/peer/blocksprovider/blocksprovider_test.go
index fa54367be8a..978b1ab2dfb 100644
--- a/internal/pkg/peer/blocksprovider/blocksprovider_test.go
+++ b/internal/pkg/peer/blocksprovider/blocksprovider_test.go
@@ -533,6 +533,28 @@ var _ = Describe("Blocksprovider", func() {
 				},
 			}))
 		})
+
+		When("gossip dissemination is disabled", func() {
+			BeforeEach(func() {
+				d.BlockGossipDisabled = true
+			})
+
+			It("doesn't gossip, only adds to the payload buffer", func() {
+				Eventually(fakeGossipServiceAdapter.AddPayloadCallCount).Should(Equal(1))
+				channelID, payload := fakeGossipServiceAdapter.AddPayloadArgsForCall(0)
+				Expect(channelID).To(Equal("channel-id"))
+				Expect(payload).To(Equal(&gossip.Payload{
+					Data: protoutil.MarshalOrPanic(&common.Block{
+						Header: &common.BlockHeader{
+							Number: 8,
+						},
+					}),
+					SeqNum: 8,
+				}))
+
+				Consistently(fakeGossipServiceAdapter.GossipCallCount).Should(Equal(0))
+			})
+		})
 	})
 
 	When("the deliver client returns a status", func() {
diff --git a/sampleconfig/core.yaml b/sampleconfig/core.yaml
index 17523ce51b0..d89d93ab625 100644
--- a/sampleconfig/core.yaml
+++ b/sampleconfig/core.yaml
@@ -343,6 +343,11 @@ peer:
 
     # Delivery service related config
     deliveryclient:
+        # Enables this peer to disseminate blocks it pulled from the ordering service
+        # via gossip.
+        # Note that 'gossip.state.enabled' controls point to point block replication
+        # of blocks committed in the past.
+        blockGossipEnabled: true
         # It sets the total time the delivery service may spend in reconnection
         # attempts until its retry logic gives up and returns an error
         reconnectTotalTimeThreshold: 3600s