Over 1,500 war compensation claims made by farmers; Tax Authority has paid NIS 91m
22,000 dunams of fruit orchards, vines, avocado plantations not being regularly farmed along Lebanese border; 1,500 dunams of fruit trees and vines damaged by fires
Sue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
The Tax Authority has received 972 compensation claims from farmers unable to work their land because of the war, and has so far disbursed NIS 91 million ($24 million), a spokesperson said Monday.
Another 578 claims have been made for direct damage to farm equipment and property. No announcement has been made on compensation for such damage.
In an update on damage to agriculture in northern Israel, the Agriculture Ministry told The Times of Israel that some 22,000 dunams (5,435 acres) of deciduous fruit orchards, vines, and avocado plantations within two kilometers (1.25 miles) of the Lebanese border are not being farmed consistently, and 1,500 dunams (370 acres) of fruits and vines have been damaged by rocket-related fires.
Fruit including apples, peaches, nectarines, kiwis, pomegranates and plums could not be picked between October and December, while many orchards have been damaged by rockets, fires sparked by rockets, and the closure of certain areas by the IDF.
The ministry said farmers’ inability to fertilize, prune, and treat their trees against pests would decrease yields.
Fifteen cows died early Sunday morning and three were in critical condition after shrapnel from an intercepted Hezbollah rocket hit a family dairy in northern Israel’s Moshav Beit She’arim.
The attack, which farmer Moshe Cohen assumed had been aimed at the nearby Ramat David Airbase, highlighted the mounting vulnerability of northern farms as hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group escalate.
It followed damage in August to a house and barn on Moshav Beit Hillel, close to the Lebanese border, with the death of four cows.
According to the ministry, some 26 chicken coops had been impacted over recent months, with war-related smoke and noise causing egg production in other sheds to drop.
In Manot and Ramot Naftali, moshavim near the Lebanon border, poultry sheds housing a combined total of 40,000 broiler chickens sustained damage. The Agriculture Ministry evacuated the surviving flocks.
“It is important to emphasize that the figures change from day to day given the ongoing war,” the ministry said in a statement. Many residents have been evacuated or blocked by security forces from reaching their fields, making it impossible to estimate the total damage.
In the south, along the Gaza border area, crops such as potatoes, wheat, peanuts and tomatoes have sustained damage due to missiles, fires, the inability of farmers to access and cultivate their fields, the passage of heavy IDF vehicles, and other military use of fields.
The ministry has found arable land in safer places for southern farmers to work, providing them with some NIS 40 million ($10,600) to plant tomatoes, potatoes and carrots and sow and harvest wheat for silage and hay to feed livestock. It also helped to repair damaged greenhouses, especially those growing tomatoes and cucumbers.
The ministry recently announced further support of up to NIS 12 million ($3 million) to expand tomato production. An additional NIS 10 million ($2.65 million) has been allocated to improve infrastructure for growing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and eggplants to ensure a continuous supply throughout the year.
Israeli forces continue to fight the Iran-backed Hamas terror group in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon following the former’s deadly invasion of southern Israel on October 7. Over recent days, the Israeli government has shifted its focus from the southern border to the northern one, with a marked uptick in attacks and counterattacks between the IDF and Hezbollah forces.
