Even before the conflict of interest settlement: the minister acted in favor of Kibbutz Mefalsim, active in the fields of the barn and poultry farms • Schuster: "All claims are unfounded"
Minister Schuster
Photo:
Gideon Markovich
The Minister of Agriculture, Alon Schuster, dealt intensively with issues in which he is ostensibly in a conflict of interest, before formulating his conflict of interest arrangement, according to the Minister's diary of the meetings reached by Israel Today.
Among other things, Schuster met with the secretary of the kibbutz where he lives - the only kibbutz secretary that appears in Schuster's meeting diary.
According to Schuster, these meetings "are held as part of being an active kibbutz member and involved in the affairs of his community."
Schuster, who took over as Minister of Agriculture on May 17, is a resident and member of Kibbutz Mefalsim in the south - active in the dairy, poultry, orchard and field crops industries.
The Minister's meeting diary shows that in the first two months of his term there are at least nine meetings or working meetings concerning the dairy farm, milk quotas, or discussions on the Dairy Law.
On May 21, four days after taking office, Schuster held a meeting on "milk quotas," without specifying with whom the meeting was held.
Another meeting on the subject was held four days later.
On May 24, Schuster attended a meeting of members of the kibbutz.
On May 31, Schuster held two more meetings on the dairy issue - one with the Dairy Council and one with the CEO of Strauss. The next day he met with the Spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Adv. Efrat Aviani, and a few days later the two met again, this time on the issue of "Contrast" Matters. "
On June 8, Schuster met with the secretary of Kibbutz Mefalsim - as mentioned, the only secretary of the kibbutz who appears in the diary.
At the time, Schuster worked, among other things, to raise customs duties on butter imports - the first step he announced upon taking office, which gave a clear advantage to growers in the country and thus allegedly contributed to a reduction in selection.
As reported, the Ministry of Finance supports the abolition of the quota regime in the various agricultural industries, including dairy, the transition to direct support for farmers and the opening of the market to free imports.
Due to the quota regime, the entire Israeli public pays for milk and its products at least 80% more than the average in OECD countries.
"Follow guidelines"
The Ministry of Agriculture stated: "The attempt to create a false representation of action out of self-interest is unfounded, especially when it comes to a person who transfers all his salary to the kibbutz fund of which he is a member, both during his time as head of council, during his time as a member of the Knesset."
"Minister Alon Schuster acted and acts solely in accordance with the guidelines of the firm's legal advice and avoids any meeting where there is a fear of a conflict of interest."
Elad Malka, CEO of the organization "Our Interest", said: "The Minister of Agriculture is invested up to the neck in the agriculture industry, acting without any regulated regulation in the conflict of interest to raise the prices of basic products.
His diary shows how much he invests in each agricultural industry. "