Seller’s remorse as officials appeal to livestock rearers

By Sheria Brathwaite

Top agriculture officials from both the government and the farming community have urged small-scale livestock owners to reach out for help from established farmers and organisations when they run into difficulties rather than letting animals suffer.

And a St John farmer who sold animals in what is now a case of suspected animal abuse is expressing seller’s remorse for letting go of the animals he later discovered in appalling health.

Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) James Paul joined Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Mark Trotman in the appeal amid an ongoing investigation into pigs reportedly being neglected and in poor condition.

The farmer sold eight pregnant sows to a St Thomas resident on November 18 and some of the animals were not fed for several weeks, Barbados TODAY has learned.

It was only after a recent visit to where the animals were being kept that it was discovered that some of them had died and were decaying in their pens, while others were severely malnourished.

Describing the situation as “very unfortunate”, Paul said it was important to reach out for assistance when a farming venture went awry.

“Agriculture is something that everybody feels they can get into. The problem is when people go into agriculture and they see the challenges, very often many of them do not cry out for help and because of that the livestock suffers in some cases,” he told Barbados TODAY. 

“This is something that is unfortunate – to see an individual keep animals and they get to this stage. It is clear that the individual did not reach out and turned their back on the animals. We cannot go onto people’s property unless they invite us to come, but if you are having challenges, reach out to other persons in the industry and try to get some help to prevent outcomes that are undesirable.”

Trotman confirmed that Veterinary Services, an arm of the Ministry of Agriculture, was investigating the matter but could not make public any details of the case. Veterinary Services dispatches officers to investigate complaints of animal abuse or neglect island-wide.

“We will dispatch a qualified officer to investigate what is going on and try to get as much information as we can,” the vet official said. “Sometimes it’s a case where the owner really did not know how to properly take care of the animals and therefore, we would educate them on how to ensure the animal is properly protected, well fed and in a comfortable environment. Then we would follow up to see if the owner has done what they need to do. It is only after we give them the opportunity to correct any issue that we find would we take any further action.”

Trotman added that if animal owners found themselves in difficulty, they should call the department for assistance before the animal’s condition worsens.

Meanwhile, the St John farmer told Barbados TODAY he was saddened to see the pigs he had sold in such a poor state.

He said: “At first I was shocked, I could not believe it. I sold him eight pregnant sows at $500 each. He paid me half of the money and when the time had come for him to pay the other half, I was unable to reach him and decided to visit him. When I saw the animals I felt bad. I would have taken care of these animals to a certain point, making sure they were in prime condition and market-ready.

“It is not sitting well with me at all. The animals were starving, some of them were rotting away and the scent was stink[ing]. It was evident that some of the sows either aborted their young ones or gave birth and ate them out of starvation. It was a horrible sight.”

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb