Farmers at Pilgrim Place counting losses

Less than 24 hours after shedding light on their persistent plight of praedial larceny, farmers at Pilgrim Place, Christ Church have been hit again.

Omar Smart, who has been continuously falling prey to livestock thieves since March, lost a fresh batch of 150 chickens on Thursday night.

They represent an additional $2 500 in losses added to the approximately $30 000 lost to thieves over the last five years.

“These people are just determined, and they will keep coming until the police actually hold somebody up there for all of these break-ins,” Smart told Barbados TODAY on Friday evening.

“Do you see how much money I am up in there losing?” he asked in despair.

Smart, who raises pigs, chickens and other livestock with fellow farmer Jason Roberts, received the 150 small chickens on Thursday. At around 8 p.m., they were fed and watered. However, by Friday they were all gone, along with a bag of feed.

He explained that after this newspaper reported on his struggles with livestock thieves over the last few months, he was contacted by officers from Oistins Police Station who asked him to submit fresh statements. At that time, lawmen were shocked to learn that the brazen thieves had struck once again.

Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) James Paul recently noted that an overall uptick in theft is threatening to cripple the livestock industry.

When contacted on Friday, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Indar Weir told Barbados TODAY that he was not in a position to give a comprehensive statement.

However, he reiterated that the Attorney General’s Office was in the advanced stages of establishing a special police unit to tackle the issue of praedial larceny.
(kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb)