Pork producers are fearful that a flood of imported pork on the market could run more farmers out of business and trigger an industry collapse within two years, Barbados TODAY has learned.
The farmers, who say they have seen a drastic dip in their sales, are demanding an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Agriculture and processing plants to address the matter.
A spokesman for the farmers told Barbados TODAY that the issue was going on for too long and they needed the authorities to intervene.
“We [would] like the small pork producers to come together and have an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and meat processors to deal with this matter,” said Ian Gibson, who spoke on behalf of a group of small farmers. “We are not sure about the quality or how much pork is being imported but we know it is a lot and we think that at least 20 to 25 per cent of the local market is being lost to imports. This is only going to run more farmers out of business and cause others to significantly reduce the amount of pigs they produce.”
Duties on pork imports have been slashed in the past several months, allowing retailers to import frozen carcasses, flooding the market, they said.
Gibson said: “The duties on imported pork was 186 per cent and it has gone to about 20 per cent, opening the floodgates for cheap imported pork. If not corrected by the relevant authorities as soon as possible, this will have a devastating impact on the farming community as the local pork industry would collapse in two years’ time.
“The authorities need to do a better job at granting import licences, especially when it comes to food that is locally produced. The Ministry of Agriculture should be the sole agency responsible for importing pork; and through the Ministry of Agriculture, there should be strict policing of imported pork.”
The farmers’ spokesman said the pork industry employed hundreds of people and its collapse would put scores of parents on the breadline.
“While some retailers are making financial profits by importing cheap pork, they are doing so at the expense of the industry, which employs hundreds of Barbadians. The refrigeration truckers who transport the animals to the abattoir will be in need of jobs. The workers in the abattoir will be out of work because there won’t be much meat for them to process as imported pork is not slaughtered by them. Farm labourers will be out of work and it will also impact the small farmers who built a livelihood in this industry; and many of them, if this issue is not addressed, will go out of business. Therefore, we need immediate action.”
The Hillbury, St John farmer called for imports to be made public knowledge.
“In the same way developers have to make a public announcement in the paper when they want to use acres of land for special projects, it should be a requirement for companies to announce when they want to import pork and the quantity if it cannot be supplied locally,” he contended.
Both the Barbados Pig Farmers’ Association and the Barbados Pig Farmers’ Co-operative Society Ltd have reported a decline in pork production while the cost of input costs and pork imports have increased. James Paul, the chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society, announced last month that the decline in production was of national significance.
Gibson acknowledged that the cost of production had significantly increased.
“Feed went up by 27 per cent and the quality of the product had dropped, the cost of fuel and electricity increased, and the cost of labour increased as a result of the minimum wage revision,” lamented the farmer who has more than 40 years of experience.
He said some farmers are putting measures in place to increase their output. In his case, he supplies on average six to 12 pigs a week to a supermarket buyer but could supply 20 to 25, he said. He added that he was restructuring his operations to boost supply to 25 to 40 pigs weekly.
Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir confirmed to Barbados TODAY that he plans on going to meet with the farmers soon: “Government has brought all parties to the table to discuss how we can finally overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of local farmers.”
Gibson also complained that with the closure of a major retail outlet’s butcher shop about two months ago, farmers were forced to go through a middleman and accept a price drop.
Now, to get their product on supermarket shelves, the farmers are required to get their meat processed at another abattoir, forcing them to accept two offers.
“Farmers are being asked to accept $6.50 per pound, pay for delivery and butchering services or accept $7 per pound and they cover the rest. Farmers are operating under this new arrangement at a loss when the input costs are factored in,” said Gibson.
When farmers used to conduct business directly with the retailer’s butcher shop, they were offered $7.50 per pound.
In October 2022, the then Minister of Business Development Kerrie Symmonds promised that pork imports would no longer undermine the local pork industry.
He told Barbados TODAY then: “Government has taken a position that wherever possible, we want to be able to satisfy the local demand for pork with locally sourced carcasses. There is a healthy amount of trade being done in the business of importing pork to Barbados but this is at the expense of local production and local farmers and it is a most unsatisfactory state of affairs.”
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
