K A S H R U T . C O M_©

Esrog Crisis Averted in Britain

September 24, 2019 from Hamodia:

"An esrog crisis was averted over the last few days, thanks to co-ordination between the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Board of Deputies and leading esrog-importer Mr Stephen Colman."

"The first batch of esrogim, some 600 fruits, was seized at Manchester Airport by Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) officials, as there are now new stricter regulations about importing citrus fruits with stalks on them. The residual stalk (the uketz, called a peduncle in English) must not be more than 2mm long, which is much shorter than is usually the case."

"The Board of Deputies, working with the importer, DEFRA and APHA, suggested that the seized esrogim could be retained at the airport and then taken to a Manchester shul, where they could be trimmed to meet the new requirements before being distributed further. It has been arranged that other importers, who were similarly unaware of the new regulations, will be able to have their esrogim sent to a specified location, such as a shul, on the condition that the fruits are destroyed after Yom Tov."

"It is extremely difficult to cut the stalk to the required 2mm length when taking it off the tree, and that by trimming it further there is a risk of making the esrog passul. The current arrangement to import esrogim under license is only for this year, so new arrangements will have to be made in time for next Sukkos."