It will soon be mandatory for anyone selling or “disposing of” agricultural produce or livestock, to issue certificates of purchase to buyers.
The same certificate must also be produced by the purchaser or any person who has the items in his/her possession when requested by the warden.
These points were highlighted by Minister of Agriculture Dr David Estwick yesterday during parliamentary debate on new legislation aimed at curbing crop and livestock theft.
Estwick said the Ministry of Agriculture will produce certificate of purchase books and anyone who forges or “produces for inspection a false certificate of purchase” or the book is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $10 000 or five years in jail or both.
The Minister of Agriculture also said that the provisions have the full support of the police and a person who fails to comply with the directions of the wardens or obstructs them while they are on duty “is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $5 000 or a term of imprisonment for three years or both.
“We have to take this matter seriously, and until you have the capacity to inspect wherever agricultural produce are being produced or are sold and produced you cannot weed out those persons who are illicitly vending stolen produce. I stand firmly therefore behind it ’cause it is my duty as Minister of Agriculture in Barbados,” Estwick said.
Noting the “fundamental deficiencies” within the existing Praedial Larcency Prevention Act and its inherent provisions, which will be repealed, he said the process of mandatory registration was not “onerous” and that it allowed for traceability capability, which was necessary for consumers’ protection because it was a public health matter. (GBM)
