Head of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), James Paul, is warning that the country’s livestock industry is under threat, noting that a recent spike in animal thefts is threatening to cripple the sector.
He revealed that with the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this perennial problem has returned with a vengeance and many farmers are now clamouring for the exit.
“Right now, we are seeing thieves who are very organised, and the truth is that the livestock farming is now under real threat. We have farmers who have been successfully hit twice in the last month and these are prized animals.
We have to move quickly in order to focus our resources to protect these farmers or otherwise you would see a high level of frustration, especially among the small farmers. . . . It is widespread and I fear that as we go deeper into this recession that it is going to get worse. This comes at a time when we are trying to get people into agriculture,” Paul said. (CLM)
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