The Chief Rabbinate of Israel has introduced a new list of requirements for dairy importers to obtain a high-level kosher (mehadrin) certificate.
According to the ynet portal, under the new rules, a kashrut inspector must be present on the farm at the start of milking, and not just during milking, which makes it impossible for the inspector to visit several farms at a time, and requires importers to hire a significant number of additional inspectors.
In addition, importers claim that the Chief Rabbinate wants to require from them a new package of documentation, some of which is not relevant to them, and that changes in requirements will lead to a significant increase in prices for imported products, and in particular for hard cheeses.