Did not walk on eggs: the Minister of Agriculture concludes a stormy term
Agriculture Minister Oded Forer summarizes more than a year of his tenure full of struggles: where he succeeded with the reform and where less so, why he thinks that what was done to his CEO would not have been done to a man and why he still sees Likud as a potential partner
Liat Ron
03/10/2022
Monday, 03 October 2022, 12:08 Updated: Thursday, 06 October 2022, 12:21
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Minister of Agriculture, Oded Forer (Photo: Reuven Castro)
Two weeks after entering the Ministry of Agriculture, Oded Porer appointed Naama Kaufman-Pess as CEO who heads it. Her tenure could have passed relatively quietly, had the minister not decided to do what other ministers of agriculture did not dare - to embark on far-reaching reforms in the vegetable, fruit and egg industries ( eggs) and open a difficult front with the farmers. Since access to it is more complicated, the CEO has become the punching bag available to men of the old type.
The disdain and abhorrence shown by the agricultural businessmen towards her was expressed in many ways, some of them disgustingly chauvinistic.
During a visit to the north, they laughed behind her back, "Here comes another chicken to the coop", and when she visited one of the barns, they joked that the cows communicate well with the CEO, because they speak the same language.
But the peak in the attacks on Kaufman-Pass came from an unexpected source, after "Walla" revealed the screenshots from the phone of Abu (Abshalom) Willan, Secretary General of the Israel Farmers' Association, which show text messages sent to him by Zvika Cohen - Senior Vice President at the Ministry of Agriculture - During the negotiations on the agricultural reform. Cohen gave Willan a close briefing and was worried that someone had stepped on him and "burned" him.
Instead of striking for sin, Willan attacked Kaufman-Pess with all his might, filed a complaint against her with the State Commission, the police, the legal advisor to the government And to the Prime Minister, claiming that she or her people invaded his privacy when they took a picture of his phone screen. When asked if he received messages from Mohan, Willen explained that the Minister of Agriculture gave him personal permission to speak with "the professional elements in the ministry." Here, too, he took care to downplay the CEO, and continued to treat her as an official Low-ranking and inappropriate for the most qualified professional in the hierarchy.
Did the farmers boycott the CEO because she was a woman? (Photo: Reuven Castro)
Are the farmers lying?
Forer is furious at the humiliating treatment received by his CEO and the blatant manner in which the farmers chose to conduct their struggle against the reforms he led. "The complaint against Zvika Cohen is currently at the Civil Service Commission," he says when we meet at the other office he is in charge of, the Ministry for the Development of the Negev Periphery and the Galil, who ironically are located next to Willan's office in the Moshavim movement house, on Shaul Hamelech Boulevard in Tel Aviv.
"The struggle waged by the farmers' organizations indicates a lack of cleanliness and I don't understand what and why they are fighting.
I'll give you an example that will make it easier for the public to understand the incident: imagine that in the negotiations between the state and the gas companies, a senior vice president at the Ministry of Energy would brief the companies on how to conduct meetings.
Do you think he would have stayed in the office a minute after that?"
Willen claims that Zvika Cohen did not brief him, but only gave him professional information, and that you, in your own words, authorized him to receive from the professionals in the office.
"There is no bigger lie than this, for the simple reason: in every discussion, the farmers asked not to conduct the negotiations in front of the CEO."
Why?
"Ask them that. Get with Va'om. I said that we would manage the negotiations with the professional body in the office, which is the CEO. If they need something, they can contact her, and if they don't get the answer, they can contact me. I have never sat down with Abu Willan face to face ".
Are you saying that Willen is lying?
"A lie and with a determined face. When I read the messages you published in 'Walla', there is nothing to do with professional data. If someone received permission from me to speak with the other side in the negotiations, why is he afraid that he will be 'burned'?"
How does the Ministry of Agriculture Can you continue to conduct yourself properly, when it turns out that a senior vice president is actually a mole?
"This was the greatest difficulty in passing the reform. Over the years, this ministry saw itself as the ministry of farmers, one that serves the kibbutzim and moshavim movement. Suddenly a minister arrived who thinks that the minister of agriculture is responsible for Israeli agriculture, so that it gives the best to the citizens and also takes care of the farmers. In the past, unfortunately, they did not understand , that when you make combinations with them, you not only don't help them, but cause enormous damage
. The negotiations were conducted with professionalism, dedication, unprecedented integrity and fairness, and she received chauvinistic comments more than once.
She got my full backing and the farmers tried to bypass her in every way.
If I made her a bad CEO I would harm her. She is an excellent CEO.
"They filed complaints against her and me, no problem, we went by the book, but I think they crossed all the lines. Look, after all, there is a fight here for a lot of money and a lot of power. When you dismantle powerful and wealthy elements, they fight you with all their might, They were used to managing the event and probably have something to fear."
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"The fruit and vegetable market turns over NIS 22 billion" (Photo: Reuven Castro)
A battle for billions
"The fruit and vegetable market is worth more than 22 billion shekels. If you lower even a percent of their price, you hit 220 million shekels, which is a lot of money. It's worth it for farmers to take lobbying and public relations offices and spend a few million on them, it's worth the money to them. They are economic organizations very profitable and very strong, and it was clear to me in advance that these steps would be met with strong resistance. In the end, there will be innovative farmers here who will receive a huge budget for capital investments, research and development, as well as direct support."
Forer explains what is apparently behind the emotions.
Porer, with the backing of the Minister of Finance, Avigdor Lieberman, the chairman of his party, Israel Beitno, decided to put his hand deep into the fire and release the genie from the bottle of the agricultural lobby, which is considered one of the most powerful and predatory in Israel, and stars in the list of those influencing the cost of living of Israeli citizens.
As mentioned, the pressure on him was not only exerted from the outside, but from within the coalition itself and from within his own office.
"Understand, at the end of the day the lobby and the power of money is used in all government ministries and to be successful you need time, at least a term when the lobbyists are so deeply entrenched in the ministries.
"The fact that the opposition opposed everything we did is logical, but when it comes from the coalition, it is unacceptable.
All the MKs of the agricultural lobby tried to torpedo the reform and set ultimatums. When I come out with the reform for fruits and vegetables, the Ministry of Environmental Quality attacks me.
When I want to change the standard to European in order to import olive oil, the Ministry of Health writes that it is important to preserve the Israeli olive oil industry, 'because Here are kings in oil'. They showed me a letter that the previous minister received from the ministry, which warned him against the import of butter, because it would lead to the collapse of the industry, the dairy farms and the farmers. Imports were opened, the production lines were working and there was peace."
But the price of butter did not go down despite the imports.
A package is still sold for around ten shekels plus or minus.
"But butter is not missing from the shelves like before and you can still find butter at a price that was under supervision. This is the essence of competition. The diseases of the Israeli market are many, not only is it closed and centralized, there are also quotas. We got a centralized economy, with large marketing chains that dominate the market and After a factory stopped producing chocolate due to a health problem, no other manufacturer dared to compete for its place on the shelves out of fear
. Not a place on the shelf, the consumer won't buy it. Carrefour is already starting to market here cheap products that are starting to shake up the market."
"When I want to change the standard to European in order to import olive oil, the Ministry of Health writes that it is important to preserve the Israeli olive oil industry, 'because here kings are anointed with oil'" (Photo: Reuven Castro)
Nothing is signed
As of this moment, agreements have been reached between the Ministry of Agriculture and the farmers on the reform, but the agreement itself has not yet been signed and the farmers have already announced that they will not uphold it and are waiting for the formation of the next government.
Absurdly, what's bothering her right now is not the Ministry of Agriculture itself, or more precisely the plant protection division that does not allow the importation of fruits and vegetables because it does not comply with its regulations.
"The fruit and vegetable reform stands on two legs," Forer explains the anomaly.
"The lowering of tariffs has been completed, with most of them going down to zero over five years, and on the other hand, the change of the plant protection regulations. Despite the objection of the legal advisor in my office, I submitted the new plant protection regulations to the Knesset, but it is not certain that the chairman of the economic committee will want to pass them.
"This is the first time that there will be a respectable book in which the requirements of each country will be. Bring a country declaration and you can import without the need for a license. Despite all the difficulty, we managed to bring pineapples, berries and garlic to Israel and see a decrease in price.
The reform does not mean that the consumer will feel in the pocket.
There is no duty on salmon and a small duty is paid on tilapia anyway, and both make up almost 78% of the market.
Who has money to buy a Locus?
"When they are cheaper, people will be able to buy them."
Your honey import didn't go smoothly either
.
"This story is completely ridiculous. Every year honey is imported around Rosh Hashanah. I wanted to increase the amount, but because of the elections it is impossible. The principle agreement states the abolition of the duty on honey and the provision of direct support. There is a war here on every narrative to make me the enemy of the farmers. They Can you tell me stories about the damage to pollination?
It turns out that the honey bees also need competition, so they bring in the bamboo bees, which do not produce honey, but create competition and increase the pollination. If the citizens of Israel could buy a kilo of honey for 20 shekels, they would consume more honey ".
The lolans were aggressive, demonstrated against you, protested, and succeeded in delaying the implementation of the reform
.
"The reform in Tala is a great success. It was passed in primary legislation, and a date has been set for its completion in ten years."
Victory in Israeli terms.
"You can say that about anything. If you want to do a process, you have to deploy its implementation. Everything is fixed in the law and from now on we proceed according to the end date and start paying duties. At the same time, I passed the regulations to ban the breeding of chickens in caged coops. Every new coop that is built from now on, Yavne will be built to the new standard, and in addition, we reduced the duty on eggs to 50%. In milk, we did not abolish duties because of the agreement that prevents the abolition of duties until 2025, but we were able to lower duties on additional cheeses with duty exemption and curb the expected price increase. But I must say a word about the conference."
say
"I led the announcement of the Eilot and Eilat region as an international research center for food from the sea and the desert, with an investment of NIS 170 million over five years. Immediately after Sukkot, the first international conference will be held, with the participation of ministers of agriculture from around the world, which will present developments from Israel and the world. There is still much to be done in the field And we will continue in the next government."
According to the polls, you will not be in the next government that Netanyahu will form
.
"I'm taking you back to the survey that was published at ten o'clock on the night of the election, when everyone was sure that Netanyahu would form a government and it didn't happen. When Netanyahu realizes that he doesn't bring 61 members of the Knesset, a large group in Likud will stand up and say so much. I see Likud as a partner, and we share the same worldview in opening the market and a free economy, but they are captive to Netanyahu's legal problems, which binds them to the ultra-Orthodox, Derai and Gafni. His surrender agreement in the core studies only proves this."
Will you continue to sit with Ream?
The ambition is to establish a liberal Zionist government, without Shas and Torah Judaism. After Mansor Abbas came to the Synagogue in Lod and declared that he would help renovate it and declared that the State of Israel is a Jewish state, I no longer need it. But the ambition is to establish a broad government, with the Likud without Netanyahu."
And you will continue to be the Minister of Agriculture and the Minister for the Development of the Negev and Galilee Peripheries?
"I would be happy to perform this position, like any other position in the government. I have more to do here."
Will be happy to stay in the position: "I have more to do here" (Photo: Reuven Castro)
Of money
Tags
Oded Forer
Minister of Agriculture
Abu Willan
agriculture
