MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Israel complains over disruption of Argentine meat supplies

“I guess they think a solution is near,” said Ambassador Ronen.

Israel's ambassador to Buenos Aires, Galit Ronen, warned on Monday that her country will stop buying meat from Argentina and look for other suppliers if the export ban persists.

“It can't be that it happens every time Argentina feels like it,” the diplomat complained.

President Alberto Fernandez's government has decreed a ban on meat exports in a move to lower domestic prices and curb rampant local inflation. The measure has not yielded the desired results.

“If we can't know that they are going to sell us meat regularly, we are going to look elsewhere,” the ambassador warned. “It can't be that every time Argentina feels like it, Israel runs out of meat,” she said.

Ronen is believed to have discussed the issue with government officials and suggested that Israel should be granted a quota like the existing Hilton quota with the European Union, or kosher meat for the United States, but this is a time-consuming solution.

He said that the officials he spoke to ”were very nice, but in the end, they didn't say yes, I guess they think the solution (to the conflict) is close, so they don't think there should be a special solution for Israel”.

Since the meat exports were banned in mid-May, Israel has moved to be granted an exemption under existing kosher protocols that are on a par with Hilton and 481 commitments to Europe, or trade with the US and Colombia, which were excluded from the restrictions.

Israel had abandoned its Polish suppliers in favour of those from Argentina, so the government's decision was rather disappointing. Resolution 75/21 expires next Sunday and there is no information on whether or not it will be extended.

Producers have already warned that if the restrictions are not lifted, protests could resume next week.

Meanwhile, Israel is considering increasing kosher slaughter at plants in Paraguay and Uruguay.