Israel: Facing the risk of milk shortage as dairy farmers stop production

According to Israel Hayom, on Monday morning, representatives of dairy farms have agreed on this strong measure as a protest against the reform proposed by the Ministry of Finance. If the supply stoppage is implemented, a shortage of milk and dairy products will become evident on supermarket shelves in just a few days. About a week earlier, the Israel Dairy Council filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Israel, opposing the decision of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to expand the quota for duty-free cheese imports, signed into effect on January 19, 2026. In the petition, the dairy industry argued that this decision sharply and unprecedentedly increases the amount of duty-free imported cheese, severely violates the agreements signed between the State and the relevant parties, and goes against the core principles of the Milk Economic Planning Law. Israeli protesters pour milk during a protest against the new dairy industry reform by the Israeli Ministry of Finance. Photo: ...