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Capital: Jerusalem
Population: 6,570,000
Currency: Shekel
Official Language(s): Hebrew, Arabic |
I.
CHEMICAL MAXIMUM RESIDUE LEVELS (MRLs)
Please click on the above link for a list of chemical MRLs.
II. CHEMICALS AND ADDITIVE INFORMATION
B. Monitoring chemical residues:
Israel's general MRL monitoring policy
is to take one sample per consignment per export certificate. For example, if one container or consignment
contains fruit from multiple sources (packers), multiple samples
will be taken. However, if multiple containers of the same
product are shipped from the same source, only one test will be
conducted for the entire consignment. If more than one
type of product (apples and pears) is in the same container,
each product will be tested separately. In the case of
past violations from a specific firm, all containers from that
firm will be tested for at least one year.
III. ORGANIC FRUIT REGULATIONS
The "National Standard for
Organically Grown Plants and Their Products" details Israel's
organic produce regulations. The English translation may be
found here.
IV. TARIFFS
Israel has a specific duty that is charged on all U.S. out
of-quota apple and pear imports regardless of their CIF value.
The specific duty is 1.85 NS per
kilogram for pears and 1.65 NS per kilogram for
apples. Please see Licenses and quotas section below.
V. NON-TARIFF BARRIERS
A. Labeling requirements:
Israel has strict marking and labeling requirements.
Please consult with your importer on these requirements before
shipping:
1. Country of origin.
2. Name and address of producer.
3. Name and address of importer.
4. Contents.
5. Weight in metric units.
6. Hebrew must be used.
Kosher certification is not a legal requirement for importing
food into Israel. However, any food marked with the word
"kosher" shall also be marked with the name and
location of the person or organization certifying that product
is kosher.
B. Licenses and quotas:
Imports of U.S. apples and pears may enter duty free under a
tariff rate quota.
The TRQ is measured in metric tons and
is available from November through May 31 for pears. The
TRQ for apples may be filled throughout the year.
The TRQ for 2008 is: Apples -
3039 MT
Pears - 1364 MT
C. Currency Issues:
D. Pest and plant disease restrictions:
Apples
and Pears: To export to Israel both a phytosanitary
certificate (PC) and import permit (IP) are required.
Israel maintains a
zero-tolerance policy towards fruit intercepted with quarantine
pests. However, it
is unclear what species of pests Israel considers to be of
quarantine concern. The
Israeli Product Requirements, as listed in the APHIS EXCERPT
program, do not specifically list
the quarantine pests other than Quadraspidiotus perniciusus
(San Jose Scale), "fruit flies" and "fruit
moths".
When inspecting and
certifying fruit, special attention should be focused on
external feeders and pests such as mites, mealybugs, aphids and
symptoms of disease (such as decay).
Israel’s policy
requires that infested shipments be re-exported.
In the past, on a case-by-case basis, Israel has agreed
to permit methyl bromide fumigation of infested loads.
However, fumigation is not official Israeli policy and
when permitted has occurred only after significant intervention
by the U.S. government resulting in long delays.
Repackaging or reconditioning of fruit is
also not an official Israeli policy and should not be considered
a likely option.
Additional declarations are required
stating that the consignment: meets the requirements
listed in the PC, is free of San Jose Scale, and meets cold
storage conditions.
E. Other:
In order to benefit from the U.S.-Israel
Free Trade Agreement, a special "United States Certificate
of Origin for Exporting to Israel" (CO) must be presented
to Israel Customs.
VI. SUBSIDIES
None.
VII. MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES FOR PACIFIC
NORTHWEST TREE FRUIT INDUSTRY
Washington Apple Commission:
George Smith
Hertfordshire, UK
Voice: 011-44-1727-862074
Fax: 011-44-1707-226176
E-mail: wac@midsummermarketing.com
Pear Bureau Northwest:
Yuval Bar-Ner
MS&P
Herzeliya, ISRAEL
Voice: 011-972-9-956-956-1
Fax: 011-972-9-956-956-4
E-mail: yuval@barner.co.il
VIII. OTHER RESOURCE LINKS:
Governmental:
IX. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
In 1985, the U.S. and Israel signed a
free trade agreement. Israel maintains that this agreement
did not include agriculture products. Therefore, in 1996 the
U.S. and Israel signed an Agreement on Trade in Agricultural
Products (ATAP). The ATAP does not contain any text and is a
schedule of tariff rates and quotas negotiated by the two
countries. As such, the 1985 agreement is the guiding
document regulating matters like sanitary and phytosanitary
safeguards and import restrictions on agriculture. The
U.S. and Israel renegotiated the 1996 ATAP after it expired in
2001. Discussions between the
two countries are underway to determine if the ATAP will be
renegotiated after it expires at the end of 2008.
Special thanks to
FAS Field Office - Israel
105 South 18th Street, Suite 105
Yakima, Washington 98901, USA
Voice: (509) 453-3193, Fax: (509) 457-7615
E-mail
general@nwhort.org
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