Hundreds of farmers protest at intersections nationwide against government’s dairy reforms

Hundreds of farmers across the country take to the streets to protest against the government’s planned reforms of the agricultural dairy industry.

Farmers and dairy farmers from across the country are gathering at major intersections, with tractor convoys blocking some roads in protest. Some of the protesters symbolically spill milk onto highways.

Dairy associations are warning that the reform will severely damage the dairy industry and lead to the closure of about 400 dairy farms in kibbutzim and peripheral areas across the country.

Local dairy industry advocates claim that the reform will have serious implications for food security and consumers in Israel.

Amid recurring nationwide shortages of milk, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is spearheading a new reform, vowing to end a problem that he says stems from an overregulated, overly concentrated dairy market.

The Finance Ministry, led by Smotrich, plans to scrap the centralized quota system and open the dairy market to competition. Dairy prices have long been a flashpoint in Israel, with spikes often touching off public anger and even mass protests over the high cost of living — a theme that has consistently ranked among voters’ top concerns in recent elections.