The island’s pig farmers have issued yet another stark warning that unregulated import licences could eventually drive them out of business.
The Vice President of the Barbados Pig Farmers Co-operative Society, David Katlyn, told Barbados TODAY the dominance of imports in the domestic market is forcing farmers to either scale back operations or abandon farming altogether. He called on Minister of Agriculture Indar Weir to take urgent action to safeguard pig producers’ interests.
“We need to regulate imports, if we did, the challenge would not be there,” Catlyn stressed. “The minister should really be protecting small farmers. He should see to it that unfair competition and social favouritism be moved from within the framework. He should be able to regulate the import licences.”
The cooperative is the second grouping to warn of the devastating impact of a surge in imports on domestic pork production. Last week, several farmers in the Barbados Pig Farmers Association reported plummeting sales, with two major producers warning that they may be forced out of business.
Catlyn acknowledged that imports have long posed a challenge for the industry, but he noted that the issue had worsened significantly in recent times. He explained that up until around 15 years ago, farmers and business owners would regularly meet with government officials to assess demand before any major imports were approved. That practice was discontinued under the Stuart administration, leading to a marked increase in imports.
“Once upon a time, businesses that imported pork knew exactly what the demand was on the island,” he said. “That was done because they met at regular intervals under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, but that was stopped under the last administration. This administration came in and did nothing about it.”
Catlyn is urging the government to reinstate the meetings, especially given CARICOM’s 25 by 25 initiative, which aims to reduce the region’s import bill by 25 per cent by next year.
He also credited former Minister of Small Business Dwight Sutherland with making efforts to regulate imports. But he lamented that things took a turn for the worse after Sutherland was reassigned to the Ministry of Housing.
Catlyn said: “I remember Dwight Sutherland went all out trying to see that the imports were curtailed but since the change in portfolios, it appears that things have gotten worse. We hear a lot of talk, but we need to sit with all the interested parties, find out how much pork is available on the island, and then go from there. I am not sure that the directorate is interested in protecting local farmers. And I am not talking about the Barbados Labour Party or the Democratic Labour Party, I am talking about government in general,” he said.
The pig farmers’ cooperative official also raised concerns over the quality of pork being imported, alleging that substandard meat was making its way onto the island.
“Let us be honest, why do we bring pork into the island and it is not even prime pork? To the best of my knowledge, I am aware that there used to be a lot of old hogs and bringing them to Barbados. That has happened already and I am not in doubt that it is happening now. So tell me who really is representing the farming community? Small farmers don’t really have power compared to the voice of a minister. The minister should be representing small farmers. He is put there by the people and he should represent their interest, not only one set of people.”
The issue of pork imports gained renewed attention in April when officials announced an increase in imports to cater to the anticipated demand from the 20 000 cricket fans expected to visit the island for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June. At the time, authorities stated that there was insufficient local pork to meet the demand.
Catlyn warned that the growing influence of “deep pocket people” over the industry was pushing local farmers to the brink.
“We want to cut our import bill. Why is it that we are allowing people who can wholesale and bring in pork at this rate to kill off the small people? Is this really cutting down on foreign exchange leaving the island? Yet you say you want people to produce more locally and you want people to support local,” he argued.
He highlighted the critical role the pork industry plays in the Barbadian economy, noting that it supports hundreds of jobs and is a key buyer of domestic farm products.
Catlyn said the pork industry played a significant role in the local economy, pointing out that the sector employed hundreds of people and was a major purchaser of agricultural products
He reiterated his call for stronger regulatory oversight, warning that without intervention, the pig farming industry may soon be crippled.
(SZB)
