Farmers without eggs: How did Merav Michaeli become Golda?

In the discussions about the reform in agriculture, the sad story of Israeli farmers, who are held captive by councils of activists, comes up.

Some of those activists also govern the Labor Party and manage to make even Merav Michaeli sound like Golda

Liat Ron

29/12/2021

Wednesday, 29 December, 2021, 10:44 Updated: 11:04

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

• Comments

  Comments

Since the Minister of Agriculture, Oded Forer and Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman banged on the table and announced unilaterally reducing import tariffs on fruit and vegetables and increasing quotas for eggs, it seems Snbatno back to the days of Mapai.

Internal Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev, spoke out against during the conference "Security in the countryside," "it will not be in our school," raged those whose office failed to thwart agricultural thefts. It can not be. "

Deputy Minister of Defense and former Agriculture Alon Schuster, Blue and White" cried if Lieberman and Forer insist on promoting reform will happen here "battle" - and went so far as Labor leader Merav Michaeli: "Israeli agriculture is "Part of our Zionism is our food security, part of our values ​​here. It simply cannot be harmed."

It's amazing how Michaeli, the progressive feminist who speaks in public and breaks boundaries, suddenly sounds like Golda, Bar-Lev looks like a replica of his father, and Schuster, the farmer in the bunch, hangs the old megaphone on his shoulder and makes the sound of the left-wing politicians.

More on Walla!

Save the world: This is probably the most important thing you will teach your child

In collaboration with Tamir

Michaeli: Trying to promote innovative struggles, but succumbs to the most conservative forces of Mapai activists (Photo: Flash 90, Yonatan Zindel)

The mechanism that holds farmers in the eggs

True, the apparatus also dominated their predecessors on the left, but the values ​​of socialism that flowed in their veins tended, at least at the beginning of their path, to true compassion for the weak and social equality. The current incarnation of the Social-Democratic left, struggling with the much-needed agricultural reform, preaches to protect the weak farmers, but in practice protects the linked, the functionaries and the combinators, those who hold them eggs, vegetables and fruits.

On the one hand, Zionism and the protection of local produce are in their mouths, but in Tekel's, only the profit line is in front of their eyes.

Finally, an extraordinary opportunity arose to pass one of the most important reforms to the State of Israel and eliminate the derogatory word, "quotas," which were conceived in the days when there was a fear that there would not be enough food for the young state and to which they belonged.

Those "quotas" that were beautiful for the austerity period and the days of Dov Yosef, bind the farmers to this day to the coop, poultry and vegetable councils that distribute them, by law, to those who come to them, until the suspicion arises that they reward those who want baker generously, And throw away crumbs for the rest - which are needed to survive somehow.

The councils that decide on quotas, for example in the field of eggs, turn the chicken coops into chickens (Photo: ShutterStock)

The activists take care of themselves, not the farmers

Forer wants to dismantle this nefarious method and add another 700 million eggs to the 2.3 billion marketed annually, but only to those who renew their coop and bring it to contemporary technological and sanitary standards, as our eggs are not only expensive, some border on real health hazard. It is no wonder that the elite of agricultural activists do not like the move, as it is unwilling to agree to the importation of fruits and vegetables that will drain it of content, and especially of power.

The farmers are really poor. But not because of the planned reform, which is supposed to directly language them, even if the level of indemnity needs to be raised - and not in a crooked, indirect and unacceptable way that does not exist in any advanced country in the world. They suffer from "Stockholm Syndrome", in which a person held forcibly develops empathy and soul identification with the ideology and actions of his captors, despite the danger lurking for him.

Most of the small farmers, who are far from the combine harvesters, would be dying to embark on a new path, but they do not dare to go against the threatening mechanism - because whoever dares to speak will not receive quotas. So either they keep quiet and swallow losses quietly, or they go out to demonstrate in front of the cabinet meeting, reluctantly, so as not to hurt livelihoods.

One could expect Labor ministers and blue and white, to really come to the aid of the farmers and not step on them a little more and voice whoever was abusing them. But when some of the members of the "apparatus" are also great commanders of the various parties, who can reward those who do as they please and punish those who rebel, then it happens that they repeat stale texts, as does Merav Michaeli - who clings to seemingly "Zionist" messages.

Michaeli stressed that the mediation gaps need to be addressed and she is completely right. But it does not take into account that the current method fuels them, because brokerage gaps are created because of the quotas. An iron rule in economics states that a monopoly in production leads to a monopoly in distribution.A planned market helps monopolies.

The limited agricultural commodity comes except for strong retailers, who can charge for it whatever price they feel like.

It's like building a dam in Jordan and protesting against the dehydration of the Dead Sea.

If supply increases, in quantities of domestic production or as a result of imports, the large retailers will have less power and the price will fall.

If farmers in Israel do not rebel against activists, they will end up like the automakers in Detroit (illustration) (Photo: ShutterStock)

Agriculture in Israel and the automotive industry in Detroit

This is similar to what happened in Detroit, which was the capital of the automotive industry during the first half of the 20th century. Thanks to entrepreneurship and creativity, it became rich in US cities. , Pensions, health insurance, high wages and tenure.

It was all wonderful until tough competition opened up from the Far East. The degenerate car industry had to become more efficient and leap forward technologically, On bankruptcy in 2013. If Michaeli, Bar-Lev and Schuster do not wake up and fight for direct and appropriate compensation for farmers in parallel with the implementation of the reform, they will become Walter Reuter of Israeli farmers.

• Of money

• Opinions

Tags

• agriculture

• Merav Michaeli

• reform

• Avigdor Lieberman

• Minister of Finance