Faced with mounting debts, civil and criminal charges and insufficient cash, Agriprocessors, one of the nation’s largest kosher meat producers, has suspended operations, causing shortages here and fears of soaring prices.
“New York has begun to see shortages and it’s going to get really bad later this week,” said Rabbi Seth Mandel, rabbinic coordinator in charge of meat for the Orthodox Union. “You will see shortages everywhere.”
Concern is already evident at some area kosher restaurants.
“People are getting nervous about whether I will have product,” said Jeremy Lebewohl, an owner of the Second Avenue Deli in Manhattan.
Steven Traube, the managing partner of two other city restaurants, predicted: “Meat prices could easily go up 20 or 30 percent.”
Rabbi Israel Steinberg, who provides kosher supervision at several area restaurants and stores, said that “chicken prices will also probably go up” because Agriprocessors slaughters chickens as well.
Should Agriprocessors go out of business, “it would be devastating for everybody,” observed Rabbi Luzer Weiss, director of the kosher law enforcement in New York.
“I hope for the sake of the kosher consumer that they straighten out their problems or go into receivership so someone else can come in and not have the place go under,” he added.
Rabbi Mandel said the meat shortage would be particularly acute for those seeking glatt kosher meat.
He said the nation’s other major glatt kosher meat producer, Alle Processing in Maspeth, Queens, cannot possibly fill the void left by Agriprocessors, which has not slaughtered or processed steer at either its Postville, Iowa, or Nebraska plants since Oct. 17.
The largest kosher poultry company, Empire Kosher Poultry, plans to evaluate its customers’ needs and then “make adjustments to the extent that our business allows us to fill those needs,” according to Elie Rosenfeld, a company spokesman.
“Empire will produce a certain percentage more and if everybody kicks in a few thousand more chickens, it should mitigate the void,” he said.
Rosenfeld declined to comment on reports that Empire was studying the possibility of acquiring Agriprocessors’ business. He has said in the past that the company was considering entering the kosher beef production business.
Rabbi Genack said that compounding the kosher meat shortage is the fact that a kosher meat plant in Minnesota is not operating because of a fire there. He said the facility would not be operating until all issues with the insurance company are ironed out.
(Source: Jewish Week)
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28 Responses
That kosher meat plant in Minnesota should not hold it’s breath about getting any money from the insurance company. I just read yesteday on frontpagemag.com that the Islamists now control the money supply in the U.S.A. They will not e eager to give any money to a Jew.
There is an apparent solution to a shortage; or at least a partial solution. If we to stop eating ONLY glatt meat and once again begin eating “regular kosher” meant, i.e. meat that is kosher according to the Shulchan Arukh, but not glatt, there would be plenty of meat available. I’m told that the amount of kosher meat available could more than double if we stopped insisting on only glatt meat.
Well, no thanks to the O-U for running for cover, while the enemies of Rubashkin cut him down.
If the O-U had stepped-up to the plate, instead of hiding under the table, Rubashin wouldn’t be facing a long jail term, and our community wouldn’t be facing a meat shortage.
With friends like the O-U, who needs enemies!
There was a similar problem with deli meat in the early 90’s when a major midwest producer of non glatt had serious questions asked about their general kashrus standards. the feeling throughout the USA was that there wasn’t enough glatt to go around but BH alle & international glatt were able to fill a major part of the void.
BTW if you want much cheaper chickens and you are able to get there, goto NPGS in Lakewood & pick up the Chabura brand. You’ll save up to 2 dollars or more per pound over what chickens cost elsewhere!!
flatbush bubby please!
Re # 1 – When it’s an accusation that Jews control the money, it’s a sad, stupid Anti-Semetic canard. However, when it’s “Islamists now control the money supply in the U.S.A.” . . . now I suppose that’s intelligent, emes and daas Torah all rolled into one. S T U P I D
#2
the shulchan aruchs standards for kosher beef are STRICTER than the level of glatt…its called bet yosef. the shulchan aruch doesnt recognize ‘kosher’ chicken as being kosher. that if for sepharadim though, ashkenazim may have different halachot
Flatbush Bubby you are a racist, pure and simple. How is quoting such nonsense any different than all the anti-semites who accuse the Jews of controlling the money supply?
Rabushkin’s production has been depressed for some time. Because of the economy, the demand for beef is falling (which is good because the supply of cows fell due to higher grain prices). Chicken production is unaffected and chicken can be substituted (which increases the price of chicken).The impact will be substantially cushioned. If there is demand, some entrepreneur will buy the assets and expand production rapdily, or existing suppliers will increase production.
And in any event, what’s wrong with tuna?
Not to mention the fact that even if it were true that some group (Jews, Islamists, martians, whoever) were in charge of the money supply, a company having a valid inforce insurance policy from a private company is *still* entitled to a payout for a fire (assuming it isn’t arson or in some other way violates the insurance terms).
The Wolf
#1 – Huh?
#2 – They do not even sell not Glatt, if you want it.
#3 – Please explain.
#4 – NPGS was completely out of Chabura yesterday. It seems like empire does not need them anymore from what I heard.
#5 – right on.
I want to clarify my comment #2 above. My suggestion is that Ashkenazim begin to again rely on the kulot regarding kosher meat as brought down in the Rema and Ashkenazi nosei keilim to the Shulchan Arukh. Doing that will increase the availibility of kosher meat manifold. I’m not suggesting that Sephardim abandon their time honored tradition of Bet Yosef meat. But they too will benefit from this move since Ashkenazim will have more choices of meat, thereby increasing the availibile supply of glatt/Bet Yosef meat to Sephardim, lowering its prices too. Where are the rabbanim? Why are they not doing this? Now is the time for them to show true religious leadership and sympathy for their flock. Or are they busy ferreting out and forbidding events that might lead to mixed dancing while kashrut becomes a burden on klal Yisrael?
lets not get carried away with this meat shortage & if the prices go up, so who cares let them skyrocket & will eat something else & one thing is for sure, nobody is going to starve & life will go on with or without Rubashkin.
Does anybody understand the word competition & one door closes & another one opens & just ask your parenets in prewar Europe there was no such thing as CHICKEN & never mind meat at all & yes they survived the war, so stop this madness with Meat shortages & life will go on without any problems at all.
Gittel and Yonason, I just checked Jihad Watch today. And yes, the Islamists are in control of our money. And the big reason why what I say is different then the Anti-Semitism of the goy is that the neshoma of the goy originates from tuma’a. And we do not throw candies and celebrate the death of our enemies. I strongly suggest that you start reading the Yated Ne’eman, Jihad Watch, Debbie Schlussel’s website, and frontpagemag.com, and the Wall Street Journal Online.
Interesting, the Wall Street Journal had an editorial stating that the huge bulk of cash flow has now been re-directed from the U.S. to the Middle East. So, why don’t you both put that into your pipes and smoke it!!!!!!
What are Islamists? Do you mean the Fed? I can’t find the word Islamist in any dictionary, though Google keeps asking me if I mean Islamic. But Islamic what? And how is the Fed Islamic? Are you a nutjob?
The demand for meat will fall, is all that will happen. Look at E”Y – who eats meat there? Grocers and butchers can charge what they want but most regular people won’t buy it.
Where there no inspectors’ warnings given to Agriprocessors to straighten up by a certain time before all this came tumbling down?
Flatbush Bubby,
You still have yet to address my point: regardless of who has control of the money supply in the country, if the plant has a valid private insurance contract, why shouldn’t they get their payment from the insurance company?
The Wolf
Well let us hope there is meat soon.
Because WolfishMusings, the insurance company could deny payment, I think the plant is owned by Alle Meatpacking, then just have to make motions for adjournment, and adjournment, and adjournment, ad nauseum.
Then, Alle Meatpacking tries to make a motion in federal court as a way of expressing a lack of trust in the lower courts, then the federal courts rule that Alle Meatpacking does not have a case and they must dismiss the petition, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on,……..
Just watch the insurance company hire a legal firm that has represented the Muslim Brotherhood or CAIR, or some Saudi sheikh, etc., etc., etc.
Does what I am writing even look like a remote possibility? And let’s not forget that the judge assigned to the case wants a settlement. So, the insurance company goes to the Agriculture Department and makes a claim that there were violations and therefore Alle Meatpacking’s claims are moot. Need I say more?
Ah, so you’re positing the following:
(a) The insurance company will automatically fail to do their duty and pay up on a valid claim. (I don’t know why you would assume this – most insurance cases are NOT contested).
(b) The Islamists have also taken over the lower and federal courts (else, why would they not uphold a valid contract)
(c) The Islamists have *also* taken control of the major law firms in the country.
(d) The Islamists have *also* taken control of the Agriculture Department
This, in addition, to having taken control of the money supply.
Does any of this really sound rational to you? And, if so, just how did the Islamists gain control of all these sectors of the government?
The Wolf
Hello:
The meat plant is owned by goyim, Alle just buys his kosher meat from him, after their shochtim and bodkim shecht, traiber and kasher it.
Also, tell Rabbi Mandell that the only source of reliable kosher non-glatt meat that i know of is Rubashkin’s non-glatt under UMK.
Unless you eat triangle K…
Hey Deepthinker (#3) stop thinking so much. How is the OU responsible for Rubashkin’s criminal and finacial misdoings? Did the OU force them to buck the unions, to hire minors, to falsify documents , to defalt on a bank loan?
One can only hope htese charges are not true, but don’t blame the OU.
Flatbush Bubby:
1. Are you really a Bubby? If not, it would appear to be false advertising. (We assume you live in Flatbush…)
2. Most Bubbie’s have reasonable views given their life experience and from raising children/grandchildren, etc. If one has radical/non-sensical views, it would not be right to pass them on to future generations.
3. Do you really believe the stuff you write, or are you just trying to get a rise out of people?
4. Is it a crime to control the money supply? Even if it were true, that the Islamists control th money supply, why is it any different than the U.S. having the influence it does on the World’s Economy? True, as Yiddin, we wouldn’t like it, given their general animosity towards us and Israel, but it doesn’t make it wrong or a crime to “control” the money supply (as ludicrous as it sounds)……
I must tell you that the Chabura chickens at NPGS are a great product besides from being the most reasonable. I would think that the reason they were out this week was simply the crazy demand on the market. From what I hear, they are beginning to shecht and produce a full meat line this week. Let’s hope. We need them to step in & produce. I hear from the KCL that the shechita will be extremely mehudar. Yasher Koach to the ones taking care of this now.
B”H
Is Second Avenue Deli kosher?
# 3 Right on…we should boycott the OU.
#13 you remind me of a history lesson “let them eat cake”.
# 20 my family and myself feel your pain.
# 23 In a time of need our leaders should stand by the ones in need and the need of the community….not sell us/them out to satisfy the liberal left including PETA (wow what a partnership) in order to keep their OU symbol alive.
Just a note. The findings of PETA, whether in Uruguay or here, were correct. We have to do the right thing. It is the business practices of Agriprocessors that are responsible for this mess. Too many people are blaming the parties that did not look the other way.
#29….
If it were up to PETA we would be eating GRASS….so please find a better group to teach you/us ethics