Serbia ships 6,000 lambs to Israel — next delivery due in December

Serbia is expanding its presence on demanding international markets for live cattle: a shipment of 6,000 lambs from domestic farms set off today from Adorjan, near Kanjiža, for Israel, the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture announced, as reported by the newspaper Danas.

The lambs were loaded onto 14 trucks taking them to the Port of Bar, from where they will continue by ship to Israel. The loading was attended by acting agriculture minister Dragan Glamočić, representatives of the Israeli buyer, and the owner of the “Kontakt” company and the Adorjan cattle collection centre, Čaba Borshoš.

Glamočić stressed this is not a one-off shipment but a business with the potential to become steady exports — the next delivery for the Israeli market, he said, is scheduled for mid-December. “For our livestock farmers the most important thing is to have a buyer and a secure market. Today 6,000 lambs are leaving for Israel, and we have already agreed on the next contingent. The state’s job is to open the market, harmonise certificates and remove administrative barriers, while the private sector finds the buyer and does the work,” Glamočić said, according to the ministry statement quoted by Danas.

Owner Borshoš explained that the Israeli market mostly demands meat breeds — Württemberg, Île-de-France and Suffolk — with an average contracted weight of 45 kilograms; the lambs being loaded now were paid 450 dinars per kilogram. The trip by truck to Montenegro and then by ship from the Port of Bar, he said, takes five to six days.

The ministry notes that this year’s exports to Israel continue the expansion of markets for Serbian small livestock — during the year, lamb exports were also carried out to Libya and Algeria, while certificates were harmonised and opportunities opened for placement in more markets. The state supports sheep production with 3,000 dinars per lamb and 10,000 dinars per quality breeding head, as well as grants of 50–65 percent for the purchase of quality breeding sheep and rams, Danas notes.