Following the "Shishab" investigation that was published last weekend, and revealed a series of failures in the slaughtering system abroad, slaughterers in Israel are demanding from the Chief Rabbinate to authorize them to go on missions abroad without having to deal with the challenging regulation that, according to them, piles up difficulties.
In the investigation, it was announced that there is a significant shortage in the number of butchers who were allowed to go abroad, and this causes a significant increase in the salaries of senior officials in overseas expeditions - which ultimately affects the prices of meat for the consumer in Israel.
A slaughter school, which opened and closed after three months, was supposed to cause competition and thus reduce costs, but is currently inactive.
Unnecessary regulation
After the investigation, slaughterers working in Israel contacted "Israel Today" and said that there is a much faster solution to the severe shortage of manpower abroad, but unnecessary regulation blocks it. According to the procedures, in order for a slaughterer to work abroad, he is required to pass a theory test and a practical test , something that deters some of the butchers who have been doing exactly the same job for years in Israel.
"We are not allowed to work abroad even though we have been working in Israel for many, many years.
It is completely unnecessary, what is the difference between slaughtering in Israel and abroad?" said one of the slaughterers.
Cows are led to slaughter, photo: GettyImages
"There's no reason"
"There are thousands of slaughterers in Israel, and many would like to go abroad and make a living.
Butchers, knife testers, interior testers, exterior testers and even team leaders who have been working in the field for years.
We tried many times to change the situation, including with the help of importers, but without success.
If a person is responsible for a slaughterhouse in Israel, why shouldn't he be responsible for a slaughterhouse abroad? There is no reason, and this is a very quick way to reduce slaughter prices - and also the cost of living."
months away from family
Even the overseas slaughterers with whom we spoke agreed that there is no reason not to allow slaughterers from Israel to come to work abroad. "It is an injustice to let them go through the whole bureaucracy again," a senior in the slaughtering field told Israel Hayom. According to him, there are differences between the slaughtering in Israel Abroad, partly due to the intensity of the work and the need to spend months away from the family, but it is possible to bridge the gap without requiring a butcher to study theoretical material and take unnecessary tests.
"If a person presents certificates and recommendations from professionals, there is no reason for him to be re-examined. Perhaps he should be allowed to come to slaughterhouses abroad as an apprentice supervisor for a month to see that everything is in order, but there is no need to go through the whole procedure again for a person who already knows the job."
Rabbinical sources point out that there are significant differences between slaughterers in Israel and slaughterers abroad, which are expressed in the amount of slaughtering and the manner of its operation, including supervision, and therefore it is not necessarily possible to compare the two areas.
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