Finance Ministry set to permanently exempt import of live calves from customs duties
Opponents say move will gift millions of shekels to Tnuva and Dabbah meat companies, which control most of the beef market, at a time when Israelis face steep price rises
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter

The Finance Ministry is set to make permanent a temporary exemption from customs duties on the controversial import of live calves for fattening and slaughter in Israel, saying that the move would help lower the prices of beef in the country.
The move comes despite widespread calls to ban the import of live animals altogether, with animal rights activists saying the months-long sea voyages are cruel, exposing the animals to harsh conditions and unnecessary suffering.
Last year, the value of that exemption for meat importers — chiefly two large companies, Tnuva and Dabbah — was estimated by the Tax Authority at around NIS 89 million ($24.4 million).
A draft order issued on December 1 for public comment noted that the customs, tariffs and purchase tax law was amended in 2014 to exempt live calves imported from overseas from customs duties until December 31, 2021. The exemption was extended twice, and ended on December 31, 2024.
The draft order said that there had been “a decrease in fresh meat prices since 2014,” continuing, “In light of the above, and in order to help cope with the cost of living, it is proposed in this order to determine that the exemption from customs duties on live calves will apply permanently.”
Pressed on the accuracy of this statement, ministry sources admitted to The Times of Israel that there had only been one slight drop in prices, saying it had taken place in 2015 and was directly related to the temporary exemption introduced the year before. Presented with Central Bureau of Statistics figures in a State Comptroller’s report showing that prices were going down before the exemption was passed, and subsequently rose, they chose not to comment.
Defending the continuing import of live animals alongside imports of kosher chilled meat, the ministry cited the law of diminishing returns, charging that moving entirely to chilled meat imports would make beef more expensive.

The draft order was published on December 1 and garnered 58 responses, mainly protesting that the move supported animal cruelty and unhealthy eating.
One respondent wrote, “VAT is being raised, the value of tax credit points is being frozen, hundreds of millions (of shekels) are being cut from education, welfare and health budgets — but cattle importers are being exempted?”
The Animals Now organization called the move “a deceitful, opportunistic and perverse move that benefits corporations at the expense of taxpayers, and on the humble backs of animals who will continue, against the wishes of most Israeli citizens, to arrive in the country on cruel and bloody journeys.”
The organization said the main benefit would be to Tnuva and Dabbah, which are active in all segments of the industry — import, fattening, slaughtering and marketing.
The Agriculture Ministry, which is responsible for animal welfare, said it had asked that the exemption from import duties be matched by investment in the local beef industry.
In 2018, a bill backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to gradually reduce livestock numbers being imported into Israel and to stop them completely within three years, replacing them with chilled meat imports, passed preliminary reading in the Knesset but never proceeded further.

According to the bill’s explanatory notes, animals on livestock transports became drenched in their and other animals’ feces and suffered from severe overcrowding, heat overload and serious injuries resulting from being shaken around by the waves, with many dying en route.
According to the Agriculture Ministry, fresh meat from imported calves made up 29 percent of the beef consumed in Israel last year — the highest figure in nine years apart from 2019 when it stood at 30%. Imported frozen meat accounted for 40%, imported chilled meat 17% and meat from Israeli grown calves 14%. In total, 420,000 heads of cattle were slaughtered last year, including 150,000 for the West Bank and Gaza.
Of the live calf imports, 34% were from Portugal, 26% were from Australia, 24% from Romania, and the rest from Hungary, Lithuania and Ireland. More than half of all chilled meat (55%) came from Argentina.
Dabbah failed to respond by press time, and Tnuva chose not to respond.