As part of the vote on the budget law, the Knesset plenum approved in second and third reading the government bill for reporting on wheat and animal feed stocks, which was promoted by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, MK Avi Dichter.
The law is a key goal in strengthening the State of Israel's emergency preparedness and ensuring the continuity of the supply of essential food. In these days of complex security realities, the importance of early preparation and risk management is heightened.
The law is intended to allow the state to obtain a complete and continuous picture of the operational stock of essential food in the economy, alongside the management of the existing emergency stock, thereby strengthening the state's preparedness for disruptions in the supply chains and for emergencies. In accordance with the law, entities that hold stocks of wheat for food or fodder components will be required to submit monthly and annual online reports to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, through a dedicated system. The data collected will enable trend analysis, identification of seasonal gaps and assessment of the volume of stocks in real time.
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Among the types of inventory that will require reporting: corn and barley kernels, soybean hulls, linseed and sunflower hulls, corn gluten, palm fat and vitamin and mineral supplements for cattle, sheep and poultry. The reporting obligation will apply to all parties in the industry, including flour mills, mixing plants, food centers, grain trading corporations, dairy farms, chicken coops and housing, and will also include specifying the geographical location and details of the inventory owner. Accordingly, designated inspectors will be authorized for control and monitoring.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security notes that information security and authorization management are a central component of the system, and that access to data will be limited to authorized parties only, while fully maintaining the confidentiality of the information.
Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security manages the emergency stock, operating in accordance with the National Emergency Authority's reference scenarios. The new law extends the monitoring capability to operational stocks as well, providing the state with a management tool for making data-based decisions.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security MK Avi Dichter"Creating knowledge and the ability to anticipate shortage situations in light of a changing reality, certainly in a state of war, are among the important lessons we have learned in recent years. This is exactly what we seek to do in this law that was approved today. Advance knowledge that will lead to more efficient and faster preparations and coping. I thank Yuval Lipkin for leading the move that received support from wall to wall in the Knesset and for the understanding of the Knesset members of the great importance of ensuring functional continuity in routine and emergency situations."
Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Oren Lavie: ""The food security of Israeli citizens is a critical pillar of the country's national security. For the past three years, the Ministry of Agriculture has been working with a broad strategic vision to ensure that in any scenario, with an emphasis on an emergency, the State of Israel's food stock will be stable and available. We are working tirelessly to ensure that the State of Israel is prepared and ready. We have only recently completed significant steps to ensure the functional continuity of the livestock sector: from ensuring a stock of designated oils for animal feed rations, to significantly strengthening the stock of wheat for human consumption through reporting. The ministry's policy is clear: We do not wait for a crisis to act. We are building Israeli resilience every day, through careful management of emergency stocks and maintaining the continuity of supply from the ports to the national plate of every citizen.""
