No more Aussie lamb chops on Israeli BBQs
AUSTRALIANS living in Israel will struggle to find an Aussie lamb chop in Tel Aviv butchers when they celebrate Australia Day later this month.
AUSTRALIANS living in Israel will struggle to find an Aussie lamb chop in Tel Aviv butchers when they celebrate Australia Day later this month.
Local exporters and officials have accused the Jewish State of disadvantaging a close friend after the Netanyahu Government’s refusal to remove high tariffs on Australian lamb meat. It has left Israeli meat importers no choice but to import lamb from other, cheaper sources.
Dr Mike Kelly, the Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, held meetings with Israel’s Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon last month to discuss the matter.
It arose after Israel signed free trade agreements with the European Union and with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – known as MERCOSUR – which saw large tariffs scrapped on lamb exported from these countries to Israel after January 1, 2011.
The agreement did not include Australia, with local lamb continuing to incur a 50 per cent tariff.
“It is just absolutely discriminating that South America and Europe get the privileges and Australia, a friend of Israel, gets nothing,” Australian exporter Jack Hines told The AJN.
Israel has difficult relations with many European states, and Argentina and Brazil were the most recent countries to announce they officially recognise the existence of a Palestinian state. Australia, meanwhile, has resisted Palestinian calls to do the same and the Government continues to support the Jewish State.
Hines said his importers in Israel were working hard to lobby the Government to cancel Australia’s tariffs as well, while back home, Dr Kelly was flying the flag.
“The Israelis’ concern is that if they were to make arrangements with Australia, they would have to make arrangements across the board to the World Trade Organisation [WTO],” Dr Kelly explained.
He added that this is a false argument. The two other lamb exporting countries excluded by these trade arrangements – India and New Zealand – do not ship kosher lamb.
“I was putting to Shalom Simhon that they weren’t creating problems opening up to the WTO,” the Parliamentary Secretary said of his meeting in Tel Aviv. “I also pointed out the strength of the Australian relationship [with Israel].
“We put a strong and vigorous case that they make an exception for us.”
The Eden Monaro MP invited Simhon to visit Australia to consider this and other joint agriculture issues.
“I’m keen to promote Australian trade and the relationship at every opportunity,” Dr Kelly said.
According to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australia exported more than 918 tonnes of kosher sheep meat to Israel in 2009, worth $2.7 million.
NAOMI LEVIN
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