Importers Seek Relief Over Seasonal Butter Shortage

Hot weather isn’t good for butter production, and this year’s hot weather is having a major impact on Israeli butter production, industry experts said. Already wholesalers are reporting shortages in the amount of butter they are able to acquired from dairies, and they expect the situation to get worse through the chagim season.

To lessen the double blow of shortages and the high prices they bring in their wake, the Milk Council, an umbrella group for dairy producers, is seeking to increase the amount of butter imports. “The shortage usually appears at this time of the year, as temperatures rise and the amount of milk produced by cows falls,” the group said in a statement. “We have therefore asked to import butter from abroad to relieve the shortage.”

Tnuva, Israel’s largest dairy producer, said in a statement that “each year we experience a fall-off in butter production around this time of year. We are doing everything possible to fulfill the orders we have received from customers. The entire dairy industry is gearing up to meet the demand expected in the coming months,” the company said.