Supreme Court Sets Deadline for Rabbinate on Brazilian Chicken Imports

The Rabbinate must grant approval for the import of chicken from Brazil within four months. This was determined by the Supreme Court judges after they held a hearing last week regarding the objection of meat importer Baladi to the Rabbinate's request for an additional 120-day extension.

Judges Yael Willner, Ofer Grosskopf, and Ruth Ronen approved the Rabbinate's request for an extension, but unlike the Rabbinate's position, which sought additional time to formulate recommendations for the Council of the Chief Rabbinate, the judges ruled that at the end of this period, an import permit must be granted.

"In view of the respondents' statement regarding the need to build a balanced and orderly halachic and administrative process, which the professional staff at the Chief Rabbinate are working on, and in light of the statement by the Chief Rabbi of Israel that he has instructed the team to act to bring its recommendations before the Council of the Chief Rabbinate for approval within 120 days (including recess days), we did not see fit to issue an order nisi at this stage. This is based on the assumption that, given the aforementioned statement by the Chief Rabbi, the work will indeed be completed within the requested period of time, without the need for further extensions."

The judges' decision followed a hearing on the petition filed by Baladi last July, which demanded that the Rabbinate be compelled to approve chicken imports from Brazil. It emerged that the Rabbinate had not advanced a plan for approval and had held only one discussion on the subject two months ago.

While the decision delays Baladi's entry into the market with frozen kosher chicken from its 21-million-shekel plant in Brazil, it signals that the Supreme Court expects the Rabbinate to open the market. As reported in Calcalist, the Rabbinate has been delaying the approval. The Chief Veterinarian of the Ministry of Agriculture had included Baladi's plant in the list of approved facilities, but resigned shortly thereafter following disagreements with the Ministry's Director General, Oren Lavi. Additional opposition has come from local producers fighting the market opening through an administrative petition.

Meanwhile, chicken prices are rising, and Israelis are paying high prices for local products. According to Ministry of Agriculture data, per capita chicken consumption in Israel in 2024 was about 49 kg per year, compared to a global average of 21.8 kg. A Calcalist check of prices at the Shufersal Deal chain shows that since 2020, the price of 1 kg of whole chicken breast has jumped by 42.2% to 39.4 shekels, sliced chicken breast by 25% to 39.9 shekels, and chicken legs by 42% to 27.7 shekels per kg. It is estimated that allowing imports from Brazil will have a positive impact on consumer prices.