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By Chabadinfo Reporter

The Beis Din of Crown Heights, headed by Harav Avrohom Osoaba and Harav Yosef Braun issued a statement that the Vaad Hakashrus has removed the hechsher from the Shor Habor plant and the AgriStar meat plant.

The Rabbonim states that “it is our duty to ensure the highest standards of kosher supervision within our community and beyond.”

The Rabbonim stated that the removal is due to “The management’s lack of support for our representatives made it increasingly difficult to ensure compliance with kashrus protocols.”

“Despite our longstanding relationship with AgriStar and our extensive efforts to address these issues, we regret to inform you that we can no longer maintain our kosher certification at AgriStar. Thus, going forward, the Shor Habor brand, and other AgriStar beef and poultry will no longer be under our hechsher. This decision is made with a heavy heart, but it is necessary to uphold the integrity of our kashrus standards.” they added.

Full Statment:  

To Members of the Crown Heights Community, and Anash and consumers all over,

We hope this letter finds you well.

As the Rabbonim of the Bais Din of Crown Heights, it is our duty to ensure the highest standards of kosher supervision within our community and beyond.

We are writing to address the AgriStar plant. For some time, there have been significant kashrus challenges at the AgriStar plant. Despite our diligent efforts to maintain proper kashrus standards, we encountered resistance from the management at the plant.

The management’s lack of support for our representatives made it increasingly difficult to ensure compliance with kashrus protocols. For example, after one of the recent Rabbinic visits to the plant, we requested numerous adjustments to procedure, including serious issues regarding the deveining of the animals. Despite efforts to implement these adjustments, not all requested changes were fully enacted at AgriStar. Some were initially ignored, then disputed, and even after prolonged delays, not all items were fully instituted.

Other requests like the desire to accommodate consumers who desire only Lubavitcher Shechita, and better inspection of chickens were deemed “impossible” to implement.

This strained relationship and inconsistent adherence to proper procedures have created an environment detrimental to our kashrus supervision efforts.

The AgriStar plant has a long history of being associated with the CHK, and its current owners have invested a great deal to create a state-of-the-art plant and to promote the Hechsher. However, trust and the human factor are the keys to kashrus. Despite our longstanding relationship with AgriStar and our extensive efforts to address these issues, we regret to inform you that we can no longer maintain our kosher certification at AgriStar. Thus, going forward, the Shor Habor brand, and other AgriStar beef and poultry will no longer be under our hechsher. This decision is made with a heavy heart, but it is necessary to uphold the integrity of our kashrus standards.

You may continue to use Agristar Shor Habor beef and poultry products produced before this decision; however, any AgriStar and Shor Habor products produced from today onwards will no longer bear our supervision.

Rest assured that all other meat and poultry products bearing the CHK logo are produced with our high kashrus standards and are Lubavitch Shechita. The Vaad Hakashrus is working with existing and new sources to increase the supply of CHK meat and poultry in the market.

We urge the members of our community, Anash elsewhere and all consumers, to insist on the highest standards of Kashrus and to use CHK products wherever possible.

Signed 

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