Weir assures Gov’t committed to addressing animal cruelty

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir has defended the Government against charges that it is dragging its feet in implementing measures to stamp out animal cruelty.

He said not only have some issues been addressed, but the Mia Mottley administration remains committed to further improvements.

Weir’s comments follow claims by the founder of the Humane Organisation for the Relief of Suffering Equines (HORSE) Charity, Monique Archer, that Government had not followed through on several of its promises.

In an interview with Barbados TODAY last week, she pointed out that Government’s plan to launch a public service campaign and amend the Animal Cruelty Act to provide stiffer penalties had not materialised.

However, Weir said the Government was not wavering.

He explained that money for the public service campaign has to be allocated in next year’s budget but if funds could be sourced outside of that, it would be welcomed.

“These things weren’t budgeted for in the last Estimates. The Estimates will go to Parliament in February; the new financial year starts in April. These charities, if they can raise the funding that is required I am more than happy to work with the rollout with them,” Weir told Barbados TODAY in a telephone interview.

“Wherever we have been called on to respond, we have responded. The pace sometimes can be slow but the pace is also slow at every other end, including with the same charities. So if they have the financial resources they can come forward and see how we can utilise those resources. If they don’t and they are using this as an opportunity to lobby for financial resources, come up front and tell me so.”

Weir added that many of the old issues regarding the welfare of animals had also been addressed.

“For example, the issue with the dog drowning, everybody is well aware that the police intervened in that and there was an arrest made. There are people who keep animals who don’t treat them well, I am aware of that, and wherever it is drawn to our attention we act.

“I don’t know that we are dragging our feet on anything. We agreed to a campaign to sensitise the public and some information has started to go out…,” he said.

Weir said the services of the Animal Control Unit were continually being used and pointed out that his ministry also worked closely with the Barbados Police Service.

However, he made it clear that he was not in favour of any legislation which would prevent “poor people” from keeping and owning pets.

“These charities and people who have this type of interest must recognise that, as I’ve said before, within a Barbadian context where we have poor people in Barbados wanting to keep animals but cannot afford the luxury of putting the animals in expensive kennels and surrounding guard walls and all the rest of it, that there are times it might not look good to them but we are still who we are and this is still our culture,” Weir said.

“For me, who has been elected by poor people in Barbados, to roll out any kind of programme that is going to say to Barbadians that they can no longer keep a dog unless they invest thousands of dollars to be able to put up fencing and all those rest of things, I do not know that is a good synergy or something that I can participate in.” (RB)