Breakthrough arrest in animal theft spree as new law in place – Weir

As police made a breakthrough arrest for livestock theft, Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir sent a stern warning on Monday that the new law against stealing crops and livestock is no child’s play.

He told Barbados TODAY that it had appeared as though people were taking agricultural theft as “a joke” even though the legislation, in force for the last seven months, is laden with stiff penalties. He said he was looking forward to seeing what would happen to thieves who were charged under the new laws.

A viral video recently showed masked men stealing sheep from government farms.

Two facilities, the Greenland Livestock Research Station, St Andrew and the Animal Nutrition Unit at The Pine, had been hit with the loss of 43 Black Belly ewes and two rams, Barbados TODAY understands.

The video shows six men stealing the quality bred animals at one of the facilities. The animals were microchipped and some of the animals were recovered using that technology, said Minister Weir.

These incidents were just two in a recent spate of praedial larceny in which several farmers have reported livestock and crop theft. Last month, Jabaree Grant suffered more than $8 500 in losses when 22 of his 89 sheep were stolen from his River Plantation, St Philip farm.

Confirming that a group of men were now in police custody being questioned for sheep theft, Weir said: “I am told that the police arrested some fellows for stealing animals and those animals were found because they had microchips, so the hardcore reality is that we will see what the court decides – and the legislation is there. I just want to see if people are going to be asked to spend time in prison for stealing crops or animals and I am very concerned that we have the legislation there but people seem to think that it is a joke that they are continuing to do what they are doing.”

Under the Protection of Agricultural Products Act of 2022, which came into force on March 6 this year, crop and livestock thieves could be slapped with fines of up to $100 000, imprisonment for five years, or both.

Weir said that the buyers of stolen goods were also to blame for the prevalence of agricultural theft, adding that they were undermining efforts by the Government to nip it in the bud.

He told Barbados TODAY: “The public of Barbados will complain over and over about you not doing this and you not doing that, the next and the third, but how many people even ask for proof from these people who are selling? Nobody ain’t asking, but the legislation speaks to that itself; that a person who is selling should be able to produce a receipt to show where they purchased the items or where they actually grew them.

“That’s the only way we can combat this. It cannot be just by legislation itself; it has to be by people’s behaviour as well. So which supermarket or restaurant can take a carcass from somebody who’s selling it without first inquiring and asking for proof of ownership?”

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb